one or the other

idiom

: one of two persons or things but not the other
One or the other of us will have to go.

Dictionary Entries Near one or the other

one-on-one

one or the other

one or two

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“One or the other.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one%20or%20the%20other. Accessed 5 Feb. 2023.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of weal

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words Named After People

  • name tags
  • Namesake of the leotard, Jules Léotard had what profession?
Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games