ELSE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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else

[ els ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

other than the persons or things mentioned or implied:
What else could I have done?
in addition to the persons or things mentioned or implied:
Who else was there?
other or in addition (used in the possessive following an indefinite pronoun):
someone else's money.

adverb

if not (usually preceded by or ):
It's a macaw, or else I don't know birds.
in some other way; otherwise:
How else could I have acted?
at some other place or time:
Where else might I find this book?

else

/ ɛ�� /

determiner

in addition; more
there is nobody else here
other; different
where else could he be?

adverb

or else
1. if not, then
  go away or else I won't finish my work today
2. or something terrible will result: used as a threat
  sit down, or else!

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Grammar Note

The possessive forms of somebody else, everybody else, etc., are somebody else's, everybody else's, the forms somebody's else, everybody's else being considered nonstandard in present-day English. One exception is the possessive for who else, which is occasionally formed as whose else when a noun does not immediately follow: Is this book yours? Whose else could it be? No, it's somebody else's.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of else¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English elles (cognate with Old High German elles ), equivalent to ell- other (cognate with Gothic aljis, Latin alius, Old Irish aile Greek á��ǲ�, Armenian ayl other; eldritch ) + -es -s 1

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of else¹

Old English elles, genitive of el- strange, foreign; related to Old High German eli- other, Gothic alja, Latin alius, Greek allos

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

or else, or suffer the consequences:
Do what I say, or else.

More idioms and phrases containing else

see in someone's (else's) shoes ; or else ; something else ; something else again .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives, and we are dedicated to continuing his passion for and legacy of championing cinema.”

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The first Low Tide Event was held in 2015 and Mr Matthews said organisers wanted to do "something you can't do anywhere else in the world".

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Less forgivable is everyone else going along with it.

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And then they realize, oh, someone else loves birds, that’s cool, let’s stop and look at another bird.

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And you know something else, it’s like, with Audubon, somehow I’m just able to make things work.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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