or what

Idioms  

1. A phrase following a statement that adds emphasis or suggests an option. For example, in Is this a good movie or what? the phrase asks for confirmation or agreement. However, it also may ask for an alternative, as in Is this book a biography or what? In the 1700s it generally asked for a choice among a series of options, and it still has this function, as in In what does John excel? in imagination? in reasoning powers? in mathematics? or what?

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Example Sentences

Net interest income, or what Schwab collects on the spread between what it earns on loans and securities, and what it pays to its depositors, increased 16%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The appointment of Alonso was meant to herald a new era, a Real Madrid with a defined style not solely reliant of individual skill or what at times felt like divine intervention.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

We don’t know if there’s a story in the works, or some legal issue, or what.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

Trump: “You know, if somebody said, ‘What would be your theory or what would you do in terms of Libya,’ I’d do one thing,” Trump said.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

“Okay, well, why don’t you start by telling me who or what you’re looking for, and we can go from there.”

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy