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Definition of or conjunction from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    or

     conjunction
    conjunction
    NAmE//ər//
     
    , NAmE//ɔr//
     
     
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  1. 1used to introduce another possibility Is your sister older or younger than you? Are you coming or not? Is it a boy or a girl? It can be black, white, or gray. compare either… or…
  2. 2used in negative sentences when mentioning two or more things He can't read or write. There are people without homes, jobs, or family. compare neither… nor…
  3. 3(also or else) used to warn or advise someone that something bad could happen; otherwise Turn the heat down or it'll burn.
  4. 4used between two numbers to show approximately how many There were six or seven of us there.
  5. 5used to introduce a word or phrase that explains or means the same as another geology, or the science of the earth's crust It weighs a kilo, or just over two pounds.
  6. 6used to say why something must be true He must like her, or he wouldn't keep calling her.
  7. 7used to introduce a contrasting idea He was lying—or was he?
    8. Idioms
    or so
     
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    about It'll cost $150 or so.
    or somebody/something/somewhere, somebody/something/somewhere or other (informal)
     
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     used when you are not exactly sure about a person, thing, or place He's a factory supervisor or something. “Who said so?” “Oh, somebody or other. I can't remember who it was.”
See or in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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