else

[ els ]

adjective

1. other than the persons or things mentioned or implied:

   What else could I have done?

2. in addition to the persons or things mentioned or implied:

   Who else was there?

3. other or in addition (used in the possessive following an indefinite pronoun):

   someone else's money.

adverb

1. if not (usually preceded by or ):

   It's a macaw, or else I don't know birds.

2. in some other way; otherwise:

   How else could I have acted?

3. at some other place or time:

   Where else might I find this book?

else

/ ɛls /

determiner

1. in addition; more

   there is nobody else here

2. other; different

   where else could he be?

adverb

1. 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!

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.

Word 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 állos, Armenian ayl other; eldritch ) + -es -s 1

Word 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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. 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 .

Example Sentences

I think we’ll go look where everyone else is probably not looking.’

From Los Angeles Times

“First he says one thing, then he says something else,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

I said that I had apologized to her and everybody else I wronged.

From Salon

He was thinking of something else — or, rather, someone else.

From Los Angeles Times

“Everyone else looked at AG as if they were applying for a judicial appointment. They talked about their vaunted legal theories and constitutional bulls**t. Gaetz was the only one who said, ‘Yeah, I’ll go over there and start cuttin’ f***in’ heads.’”

From Salon