Spread the inside of the loaf with olive paste or pesto sauce for extra flavour.
He said he would try to write or call as soon as he reached the Canary Islands.
Students are asked to take another course in English, or science, or mathematics.
2. conjunction
You use or to give another alternative, when the first alternative is introduced by 'either' or 'whether'.
Items like bread, milk and meat were either unavailable or obtained only on the blackmarket.
Either you can talk to him, or I will.
I don't know whether people will buy it or not.
I am not sure whether I was knocked over by the blast or whether I just fell.
The bathroom has taken a lot longer to get right than either Elaine or Dennis hadenvisaged.
3. conjunction
You use or between two numbers to indicate that you are giving an approximate amount.
Everyone benefited from limiting their intake of tea to just three or four cups aday.
When I was nine or ten someone explained to me that when you are grown up you haveto work.
Normally he asked questions, and had a humorous remark or two.
4. conjunction
You use or to introduce a comment which corrects or modifies what you have just said.
The man was a fool, he thought, or at least incompetent.
There was nothing more he wanted, or so he thought.
That was sporting of him. Or should I say cowardly.
She was aware of tension between them. Or had it been there from the beginning?
5. conjunction
If you say that someone should do something or something unpleasant will happen, you are warning them that if they do not do it, the unpleasant thing will happen.
She had to have the operation, or she would die.
6. conjunction
You use or to introduce something which is evidence for the truth of a statement you have just made.
He must have thought Jane was worth it or he wouldn't have wasted time on her, Isuppose.
7.
See or no/or not
8.
See or no
9. or else
10. or other
11. or so
12. or something
English Easy Learning GrammarJoining clausesCoordination The process called coordination joins two short clauses of equal importance with aconjunction. Each clause becomes a main clause in the new ... Read more
-or
(-əʳ)
suffix
-or is used at the end of nouns that refer to people or things which perform a particular action.
...a major investor.
...the translator.
...an electric generator.
or in British English1
(ɔː, unstressed ə)
conjunction(coordinating)
1.
used to join alternatives
apples or pears
apples or pears or cheese
apples, pears, or cheese
2.
used to join rephrasings of the same thing
to serve in the army, or rather to fight in the army
twelve, or a dozen
3.
used to join two alternatives when the first is preceded by either or whether
whether it rains or not we'll be there
either yes or no
4. one or two
5. or else
6.
a poetic word for either or whether as the first element in correlatives, with or also preceding the second alternative
See also exclusive or, inclusive or
Word origin
C13: contraction of other, used to introduce an alternative, changed (through influence of either) from Old English oththe; compare Old High German odar (German oder)
or in British English2
(ɔː) archaic
conjunction
1. (subordinating; foll by ever or ere)
before; when
preposition
2.
before
Word origin
Old English ār soon; related to Old Norse ār early, Old High German ēr
or in British English3
(ɔː)
adjective
(usually postpositive) heraldry
of the metal gold
Word origin
C16: via French from Latin aurum gold
OR in British English
abbreviation for
1.
operations research
2.
Oregon
3. military
other ranks
-or in British English1
suffix forming nouns
a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verb
actor
conductor
generator
sailor
Word origin
via Old French -eur, -eor, from Latin -or or -ātor
-or in British English2
suffix forming nouns
1.
indicating state, condition, or activity
terror
error
2. the US spelling of -our
OR in American English
1.
operating room
2.
Oregon
or in American English1
(ɔr)
conjunction
a coordinating conjunction introducing an alternative
; specif.,
a.
introducing the second of two possibilities
beer or wine
b.
introducing any of the possibilities in a series, but usually used only before the last
apples or pears or plums; apples, pears, or plums
c.
introducing a synonymous word or phrase
botany, or the science of plants
d.
introducing the second of two possibilities when the first is introduced by either or whether
either go or stay; decide whether to go or stay
e. OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
substituted for either or whether as the first correlative
“or in the heart or in the head”
Word origin
ME, in form a contr. of other, auther, either, but actually < OE oththe (in āther ... oththe, either ... or)
or in American English2
(ɔr)
conjunction, preposition
Chiefly Dialectal
before; ere
Word origin
ME < OE ār, var. of ær, ere: see ere
or in American English3
(ɔr)
noun
Heraldry
the representation of the metal gold: indicated in engravings by small black dots on a white field
Word origin
Fr < L aurum, gold: for IE base see east
-or in American English
(ər; ɔr)
1.
a person or thing that (does a specified thing)
mortgagor, incisor
2.
quality or condition
favor, error
▶ USAGE: for several words with this suffix, e.g. ardor, armor, color, endeavor, favor, honor, labor, rumor, savior, the spelling -our is standard usage or a common alternate spelling in most other English-speaking countries(ardour, armour, colour, etc.); other words, e.g. error, liquor, pallor, terror, are now always spelled with -or
Word origin
(sense 1) ME -our < OFr -our, -or, -eur < L -or, -ator; (sense 2) ME -our < OFr < L -or
Examples of 'or' in a sentence
or
She wandered about the kitchen restlessly, vaguely tidying up, putting things away more or less at random.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
I noticed that she'd marked every third or fourth entry with an asterisk.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
I don't work the phones any more for example, or at least not the way I used to.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
Word lists with
or
heraldry
In other languages
or
British English: or /ɔː/ CONJUNCTION
You use or to show what you can choose or what is possible.
You can have tea or coffee.
American English: or
Arabic: أَوْ
Brazilian Portuguese: ou
Chinese: 或者
Croatian: ili
Czech: nebo
Danish: eller
Dutch: of
European Spanish: o
Finnish: tai
French: ou
German: oder
Greek: ή
Italian: oppure
Japanese: または
Korean: 또는
Norwegian: eller
Polish: lub
European Portuguese: ou
Romanian: sau
Russian: или
Latin American Spanish: o
Swedish: eller
Thai: หรือ
Turkish: veya
Ukrainian: або
Vietnamese: hoặc
Chinese translation of 'or'
or
(ɔːʳ)
conj
(linking alternatives) 还(還)是 (háishì)
⇒ Would you like tea or coffee?你要茶还是咖啡？ (Nǐ yào chá háishì kāfēi?)
(also or else) 否则(則) (fǒuzé)
⇒ Don't put plastic dishes in the oven or they'll melt.别把塑料盘子放进烤箱，否则它们会熔化的。 (Bié bǎ sùliào pánzi fàngjìn kǎoxiāng, fǒuzé tāmen huì rónghuà de.)