Meanings
lor1
alternative loh · alternative lorh · alternative lo
- Hong KongManglishSinglishcolloquialTagged at the end of a sentence to convey a sense of resignation or inevitability.
bo pian lor.
We don’t have a choice.
5 more examples
Next time lor.
Leave it for next time.
OK lor, go ahead.
Fine, go ahead.
[B]y then, it was too late, and I just told myself, ‘Ya lor. He’s right.’
2003 November 16, Suzanne Sng, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 16We had no income, so just eat at Koufu or Kopitiam lor.
2020 December 1, Eve Lock, quoting Marcus, “Many Of Us Will Save For A Wedding, But Not Retirement”, in ricemedia.co, archived from the original on 08 Aug 2024Within a minute, Hougang uncle moves from denial, anger, and bargaining to “ok lor I’ll just remove them”—a quintessential Singaporean pattern of resignation.
2023 January 3, Hykel Quek, quoting Marcus, “3 Ways To Respond to Authority, According to a Fierce (but Resigned) Hougang Uncle”, in ricemedia.co, archived from the original on 25 May 2024 - Hong KongManglishSinglishcolloquialUsed to suggest that there is an obvious, inevitable or straightforward answer to something.
Then tell him lor.
You go and tell him then.
5 more examples
Near-synonym: lah (sense 6)
You lor, or else still got who?
It’s obviously you then.
Take a cab lor, easier this way.
Just take a cab, it’s easier this way.
Wait till December lor.
I guess we just have to wait till December.
young mother: You never told me you had so much money... You sure you can afford this? young father: No need to worry about that. Not enough then borrow lor.
2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Act I, scene viii, page 41Synonyms: lah
- Hong KongManglishSinglishcolloquialSuggests that the reply given is the obvious or expected one.
At my house lor.
At my house, where else?
2 more examples
It’s true for me, at least. Friends under interrogation insist that ‘Have You Eaten?’ is very much alive, but when asked to recall their last encounter, answers invariably skew towards inter-generational anecdotes. “Relatives lor” is the top reply, and “Small-talk with taxi drivers” emerged as a runner-up because many feel compelled to make conversation after the initial “PIE or CTE?” decision.
2018 September 17, Pan Jie, “Why Do We Greet Each Other By Asking, ‘Have You Eaten?’”, in ricemedia.co, archived from the original on 02 Oct 2024As a facilitator, I often ask the participants: how are you feeling now? And often, the replies I get are: "Okay lor", "Like that lor".
2024 February 6, Carrie Tan, “Advancing Mental Health”, in Parliamentary Debates: Official Report (Parliament of Singapore), volume 95 - Hong KongManglishSinglishcolloquialUsed to reinforce an opinion, sometimes in a sarcastic manner.
Sorry lor.
(sarcastic) Oh I’m so sorry! (begrudgingly) OK! I'm sorry!
2 more examples
Ya lor / Han nor.
Yeah (agreement)
A retired senior police officer in Hong Kong on trial over the assault of a bystander during the 2014 Occupy protests said “sorry lor” for his actions in court on Friday, admitting that he hit his accuser with a baton on instinct.
2017 November 10, “‘Sorry ... what do you expect?’ says former top policeman on trial for Occupy assault”, in South China Morning Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Nov 2022
lor2
comparative more lor · superlative most lor · alternative loh · alternative lorh · alternative lo
- Hong KongManglishSinglishcolloquialslangAfrican-American Vernacular; Baltimore; African-American Vernacular; BaltimoreLittle.
Lor3
LOR4
plural LORs
- abbreviationcountableinitialismletterInitialism of letter of recommendation.
Synonyms & antonyms
particleUsed to suggest that there is an obvious, inevitable or straightforward answer to something.
Origin
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lor
“lor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lor.
Source: lor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.