or else
Idioms-
Otherwise, in different circumstances, as in Present your case now, or else you won't have a chance . [c. 1300]
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Regardless of any extenuating circumstances, no matter what, as in Be there on time or else! [Second half of 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Six other cases were closed because the AG’s office said it couldn’t prove those voters knew they weren’t qualified, or else their manner of registration couldn’t be determined.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The pressure to make precisely the right choice — or else — is what’s gotten society’s bedsheets in a twist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
The paper says senior economists are warning that the new prime minister will need to raise taxes, or else risk failing to deliver on his raft of "bolder policy pledges".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Either shares of semiconductors and other AI infrastructure plays would be up, or else it would be the “Magnificent Seven” and everything else.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
"I have some advice for you, Prince of Compliments: You better think a little harder before you open your mouth, or else you'll be Prince of Insults and might get in trouble."
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
