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
In April, lawyers for Truist gave Zolciak and Biermann until May 3 to go back to court or else face the possibility of being served with a foreclosure.
—
Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024
In Harvard Yard that June, graduates protested the war by refusing to don cap and gown, or else by wearing white armbands over their robes.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 23 May 2024
Book banning is the tool of authoritarians who demand that everyone share their values and choices, or else.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2024
State officials purchased about 1,800 acres in 2003, believing that one of their neighbors might permit the public to use a road into the park, or else sell a slice adjacent to a public road.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
The body gave the facility 60 days to rectify any issues or else it could be ordered to close its doors.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 2024
Advertisement One of the men hopped out of the car and told the girls to get in or else another man in the car would force them into the vehicle, said an FBI agent in an affidavit filed in the case.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
Under the law, the current owners of the video sharing platform, Chinese tech firm ByteDance, will need to sell the app within 270 days or else it will be wiped from Apple and Google app stores in the United States.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The form has been endlessly riffed on, often (and more and more as time passes) by people who have no knowledge of its inventor or else attribute the ersatz absurdist specimens to him.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024
In Harvard Yard that June, graduates protested the war by refusing to don cap and gown, or else by wearing white armbands over their robes.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 23 May 2024
Book banning is the tool of authoritarians who demand that everyone share their values and choices, or else.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2024
State officials purchased about 1,800 acres in 2003, believing that one of their neighbors might permit the public to use a road into the park, or else sell a slice adjacent to a public road.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
The body gave the facility 60 days to rectify any issues or else it could be ordered to close its doors.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 2024
Advertisement One of the men hopped out of the car and told the girls to get in or else another man in the car would force them into the vehicle, said an FBI agent in an affidavit filed in the case.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
Under the law, the current owners of the video sharing platform, Chinese tech firm ByteDance, will need to sell the app within 270 days or else it will be wiped from Apple and Google app stores in the United States.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The form has been endlessly riffed on, often (and more and more as time passes) by people who have no knowledge of its inventor or else attribute the ersatz absurdist specimens to him.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 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 7 Jun. 2024.
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