or else
idiom
1
—used to say what will happen if something is not done
You have to leave or else you will be arrested for trespassing.
2
—used to say what another possibility is
He either thinks he can't do it or else he just isn't interested.
3
informal
—used in angry speech to express a threat without saying exactly what the threat is
Do what I say or else!
Examples of or else in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The ban requires local artists to rewrite their music to comply with the restrictions by June 1st, or else they won’t be allowed to perform publicly.
—
Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Many of the continent’s militaries grew out of either armed resistance movements to colonial rule, or else its opposite, colonial security forces.
—Zachariah Mushawatu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024
Jobs with erratic or traditionally late work hours (like legislative staffers or newspaper reporters) would still be allowed to be contacted, provided that employers clearly spell out non-contact hours in worker contracts, or else compensate on-call time.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
Essentially: Spirit has to do more with less — or else.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Normally, a documentarian with access to a celebrity of Martin’s caliber would pick a focus, or else try to generate some kind of career-encompassing overview.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Mar. 2024
Diverter electrodes on either side of the stream could permit the drops to proceed straight to the paper, or else deflect them onto an absorbent pad or into a gutter to be collected and reused.
—Phillip W. Barth, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Mar. 2024
Password Capture and Replay Using a password manager has to be easy, or else consumers will go back to pet names and sticky notes.
—PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2024
This week—possibly even Wednesday—the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that will require TikTok to divest from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or else be forbidden in the United States.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Many of the continent’s militaries grew out of either armed resistance movements to colonial rule, or else its opposite, colonial security forces.
—Zachariah Mushawatu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024
Jobs with erratic or traditionally late work hours (like legislative staffers or newspaper reporters) would still be allowed to be contacted, provided that employers clearly spell out non-contact hours in worker contracts, or else compensate on-call time.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
Essentially: Spirit has to do more with less — or else.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Normally, a documentarian with access to a celebrity of Martin’s caliber would pick a focus, or else try to generate some kind of career-encompassing overview.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Mar. 2024
Diverter electrodes on either side of the stream could permit the drops to proceed straight to the paper, or else deflect them onto an absorbent pad or into a gutter to be collected and reused.
—Phillip W. Barth, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Mar. 2024
Password Capture and Replay Using a password manager has to be easy, or else consumers will go back to pet names and sticky notes.
—PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2024
This week—possibly even Wednesday—the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that will require TikTok to divest from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or else be forbidden in the United States.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'or else.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near or else
Cite this Entry
“Or else.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/or%20else. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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