View synonyms for or

or

[ awr; unstressed er ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

conjunction

(used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives):
books or magazines; to be or not to be.
(used to connect alternative terms for the same thing):
the Hawaiian, or Sandwich, Islands.
(used in correlation):
either … or; or … or; whether … or.
(used to correct or rephrase what was previously said):
His autobiography, or rather memoirs, will soon be ready for publication.
otherwise; or else:
Be here on time, or we'll leave without you.
Logic. the connective used in disjunction.

[ awr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when either or both operands are positive.

-or

a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, directly or through Anglo-French, usually denoting a condition or property of things or persons ( ardor; honor; horror; liquor; pallor; squalor; torpor; tremor ), sometimes corresponding to qualitative adjectives ending in -id4 ( horrid; pallid; squalid; torpid ). A few other words that originally ended in different suffixes have been assimilated to this group ( behavior; demeanor; glamour ).

⁴

[ awr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

Chiefly Irish, Scot., and English.

before; ere.

⁵

abbreviation for

Law. on (one's own) recognizance.
operating room.
operations research.
Oregon (approved especially for use with zip code).
owner's risk.

-or

⁶

a suffix forming animate or inanimate agent nouns, occurring originally in loanwords from Anglo-French ( debtor; lessor; tailor; traitor ); it now functions in English as an orthographic variant of -er ¹, usually joined to bases of Latin origin, in imitation of borrowed Latin words containing the suffix -tor (and its alternant -sor ). The association with Latinate vocabulary may impart a learned look to the resultant formations, which often denote machines or other less tangible entities which behave in an agentlike way: descriptor; plexor; projector; repressor; sensor; tractor .

⁷

[ awr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the tincture, or metal, gold: represented either by gold or by yellow.

adjective

of the tincture, or metal, gold:
a lion or.

O.R.

⁸

abbreviation for

owner's risk.

abbreviation for

operations research
Oregon
military other ranks

/ ə; ɔː /

conjunction

used to join alternatives
apples or pears or cheese
apples, pears, or cheese
apples or pears
used to join rephrasings of the same thing
to serve in the army, or rather to fight in the army
twelve, or a dozen
used to join two alternatives when the first is preceded by either or whether
either yes or no
whether it rains or not we'll be there
one or two
a few
or else
See else
a poetic word for either or whether as the first element in correlatives, with or also preceding the second alternative

-or

suffix forming nouns

a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verb
conductor
actor
generator
sailor

⁴

/ ɔː /

conjunction

subordinating; foll by ever or ere before; when

preposition

before

-or

⁵

suffix forming nouns

indicating state, condition, or activity
terror
error
the US spelling of -our

⁶

/ ɔː /

adjective

usually postpositive heraldry of the metal gold

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Usage Note

See and/or, either.

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Spelling Note

While the -or spelling of the suffix -or1 is characteristic of American English, there are occasional exceptions, as in advertising copy, where spellings such as colour and favour seek to suggest the allure and exclusiveness of a product. The spelling glamour is somewhat more common than glamor —not actually an instance of -or1, but conformed to it orthographically in the course of the word's history. In British English -our is still the spelling in most widespread use, -or being commonly retained when certain suffixes are added, as in color ation, honor ary, honor ific, labor ious, odor iferous. The English of the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) tends to mirror British practice, whereas Canadian English shares with the U.S. a preference for -or but with -our spellings as freely used variants. The suffix -or2 is now spelled -or in all forms of English, with the exception of the word savior, often spelled saviour in the U.S. as well as in Britain, especially with reference to Jesus.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of or¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, originally the second, unstressed member of correlative other … or, earlier other … other, Old English āther … oththe, ā-hwæther … oththe, for oththe … oththe either … or; ay ¹, whether

Origin of or²

1940–45

Origin of or³

From Latin; in some cases continuing Middle English -our, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, earlier -os

Origin of or⁴

First recorded before 950; Middle English er, ar, or, Old English ār “before, soon, early”; cognate with Old Norse ār “early, anciently, of yore,” Gothic air “soon, early”; compare Old English ǣr “before, soon”; ere

Origin of or⁵

Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French -o ( u ) r < Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, extracted from -tōr -tor by construing the t as the ending of the past participle (hence Latin factor maker, equivalent to fac ( ere ) to make + -tor, was analyzed as fact ( us ), past participle of facere + -or ); merged with Anglo-French, Old French -ëo ( u ) r < Latin -ātōr- -ator; -eur

Origin of or⁶

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin aurum “gold”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of or¹

C13: contraction of other, used to introduce an alternative, changed (through influence of either ) from Old English oththe; compare Old High German odar (German oder )

Origin of or²

via Old French -eur, -eor, from Latin -or or -ātor

Origin of or³

Old English ār soon; related to Old Norse ār early, Old High German ēr

Origin of or⁴

C16: via French from Latin aurum gold

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Example Sentences

“We will not be bullied or allow our rights to be trampled on or stolen,” the group said.

From Los Angeles Times

Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia, said that, in a moment like this, it is “extremely important” for free speech protections to be defended and for critics of the president to “make their voices known” — “particularly given the number of moves that this administration has made in just the first 50 days or so to try to shut down criticism of the government or of Trump.”

From Los Angeles Times

She cited the arrest of Khalil, the administration’s threat to revoke federal funding for universities that allow for protests on their campuses, and attacks the Trump administration has launched against big law firms that have worked for Trump’s political opponents or with prosecutors who have built cases against Trump in the past, as clear overreaches of power that must be confronted.

From Los Angeles Times

Such actions send a “chilling message to others who may want to take to the streets or engage in some other form of protest or dissent,” Fallow said, and the Trump administration will only grow more emboldened if such steps work to silence their critics.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether the recent momentum will hold up, or protests will continue to proliferate, is unclear.

From Los Angeles Times

oquassa ora

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