Meanings
conjunction
- Otherwise or as an alternative.
Go now, or else you'll have to stay all night.
2 more examples
If you wil willingly remaine with me, You ſhall haue honors, as your merits be: Or els you ſhal be forc’d with ſlauerie.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act (please specify |act=I or II), scene iiHe shall do this, or else I do recant / The pardon that I late pronounced here.
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]
phrase
- idiomaticImplies an unspecified threat if a preceding command is not fulfilled.
Clean up your room, or else!
3 more examples
"You’d better not" "Or else?"
Elon Musk to Workers: Spend 40 Hours in the Office, or Else [title]
2022 June 1, Ryan Mac, “Elon Musk to Workers: Spend 40 Hours in the Office, or Else”, in The New York Times, →ISSNJoy Behar, who has called the MAGA movement a cult, poked her head into the room and demonstrated how invested she was in Ms. Farah Griffin’s success by offering some advice aimed squarely at me: “Be nice — or else.”
2024 March 9, Jacob Bernstein, “A Former Trump Aide Becomes a Liberal Favorite”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbin place of, or as an alternative to
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek εἰ δὲ μή γε
- εἰ δὲ μή γε (ei dè mḗ ge)as an alternative
Arabic بِطَرِيقَة أُخْرَى, وَإِلَّا
- بِطَرِيقَة أُخْرَى (bi-ṭarīqa ʔuḵrā)as an alternative
- وَإِلَّا (wa-ʔillā)as an alternative
Chinese Mandarin 要不然, 要不
- 要不然 (yàobùrán)as an alternative
- 要不 (yàobù)as an alternative
- 不然 (bùrán)as an alternative
- 否則 /否则 (fǒuzé)as an alternative
Danish ellers
- ellersas an alternative
Dutch of anders
- of andersimplies an unspecified threat
Estonian või muidu, vastasel juhul
- või muiduas an alternative
- vastasel juhulas an alternative
Finnish tai muuten, muutoin
- tai muutenas an alternative
- muutoinas an alternative
- tai muutenimplies an unspecified threat
- muutoinimplies an unspecified threat
French sinon, autrement
- sinonas an alternative
- autrementas an alternative
- ou ça va barderimplies an unspecified threat
German sonst, anders
- sonstas an alternative
- andersas an alternative
- andernfallsas an alternative
Greek ειδάλλως
- ειδάλλως (eidállos)as an alternative
Hebrew אוֹ שֶׁ, וָלֹא
- אוֹ שֶׁas an alternative
- וָלֹא (való)as an alternative
- אַחֶרֶת (aẖéret)as an alternative
Hindi वरना
- वरना (varnā)as an alternative
Hungarian vagy pedig, máskülönben
- vagy pedigas an alternative
- máskülönbenas an alternative
- különbenas an alternative
- ellenkező esetbenas an alternative
- mert ha nem (akkor baj lesz)implies an unspecified threat
- (mert) különben (megnézheted magad)implies an unspecified threat
Icelandic annars, ella
- annarsas an alternative
- ellaas an alternative
Indonesian kalau tidak
- kalau tidakimplies an unspecified threat
Italian altrimenti, sennò
- altrimentias an alternative
- sennòas an alternative
Japanese そうでなければ, 或いは
- そうでなければ (sō de wa nakereba)as an alternative
- 或いは (arui wa)as an alternative
- もしくは (moshiku wa)as an alternative
- さもないと (samonai to)as an alternative
Latin aliōquī
- aliōquīas an alternative
Lithuanian arba, nes kitaip
- arbaas an alternative
- nes kitaipas an alternative
Norwegian ellers, hvis ikke
- ellersas an alternative
- hvis ikkeas an alternative
Persian وگرنه
- وگرنه (vagarna)as an alternative
Polish bo inaczej, bo
- bo inaczejas an alternative
- boas an alternative
- inaczejas an alternative
- bo inaczejimplies an unspecified threat
Portuguese senão, caso contrário
- senãoas an alternative
- caso contrárioas an alternative
- senãoimplies an unspecified threat
Romanian că, că de nu
- căas an alternative
- că de nuas an alternative
- (sau) altfelas an alternative
Russian ина́че, и́наче
- ина́че (ináče)as an alternative
- и́наче (ínače)as an alternative
- а тоas an alternative
- а не то́ (a ne tó)as an alternative
- в проти́вном слу́чае (v protívnom slúčaje)as an alternative
Spanish de lo contrario, otramente
- de lo contrarioas an alternative
- otramenteas an alternative
- o verás (tú)implies an unspecified threat
- o verésimplies an unspecified threat
- o te vas a enterar (tú / vos)implies an unspecified threat
- u os vais a enterarimplies an unspecified threat
- o vosotros os vais a enterarimplies an unspecified threat
- o te enterarás (tú)implies an unspecified threat
- o te enterarésimplies an unspecified threat
- o os enteraréis (vosotros)implies an unspecified threat
Swedish annars, annars så
- annarsas an alternative
- annars såas an alternative
- annarsimplies an unspecified threat
Urdu ورنہ, وگرنہ
- ورنہ (varnā)as an alternative
- وگرنہ (vagarnā)as an alternative
- ورنہ (varnā)implies an unspecified threat
- وگرنہ (vagarnā)implies an unspecified threat
Cite this entry
APA
or else. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/or%20else
MLA
“or else.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/or%20else. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “or else,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/or%20else.
Source: or else on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.