or

The word “or” means used to link two or more alternatives, showing that any one of them could be true or chosen. In plain terms, the word that links choices or alternatives together.

“Or” is pronounced uh (/ə(ɹ)/ in IPA).

Here is “or” used in a sentence: “Would you like tea or coffee?”

The opposite of “or” — its antonyms — is NOR.

“Or” is a conjunction.

The word “or” comes from Old English. From Middle English or, partly a contraction of "other" and partly from Old English oththe, both meaning roughly "or.".

“Or” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Or” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: used to link two or more alternatives, showing that any one of them could be true or chosen.

"Or" links alternatives in positive contexts ("tea or coffee"), while "nor" continues a negative begun by "neither" or another negative word ("neither tea nor coffee"). After "neither," standard English requires "nor," not "or."

Use a comma before "or" when it joins two independent clauses ("You can call me, or you can send an email"). In lists, the comma before the final "or" is the serial (Oxford) comma — standard in many American styles and optional in British style — so pick one approach and stay consistent.

"And/or" is accepted in legal, technical, and business writing, where it compactly covers both possibilities. Many style guides discourage it in general prose because it reads awkwardly; writing "X or Y, or both" is a clearer alternative.