else

else — adverb

1. used after indefinite pronouns (anyone, everything, nobody, etc.) and question w

1.adverbA2
Definition

used after indefinite pronouns (anyone, everything, nobody, etc.) and question words (what, who, where, why, how) to mean 'other,' 'different,' or 'additional.'

Example

Is there anyone else in the office who speaks Korean?

anyone else — after any-compound

We have already tried that place — let me think of somewhere else to eat.

somewhere else — after some-compound

Common collocations
  • anyone else
  • anything else
  • everyone else
  • somewhere else
  • nothing else
  • what else
  • who else
Synonyms
  • other

    similar meaning but a different grammar pattern — 'other' comes before a noun (other people) while 'else' comes after the word it modifies.

  • additional

    more formal and placed before a noun; 'else' is more conversational and always follows another word.

  • different

    overlaps when 'else' means 'alternative'; 'different' is an adjective used before nouns.

Antonyms
  • same

    where 'else' signals another option, 'same' signals no alternative.

Grammar Patterns

[indefinite pronoun] + else

[question word] + else

Usage Note

This sense NEVER takes 'which': 'Which else' is grammatically incorrect; use 'What other' instead. Also, 'else' cannot be used before a noun (❌ 'else person' → ✅ 'someone else'). It always follows the word it refers to.

Common Mistakes

Which else colour do you like?
What other colour do you like?
'else' does not combine with 'which'.
I need else help.
I need something else.' or 'I need more help.
'else' cannot stand alone before a noun; it must attach to an indefinite pronoun or question word.

❌ 'Who else wants to come?' (correct grammar but may be seen as rude in very formal settings) — 'Who else' is fine in everyday speech; use 'Who additionally' or 'What other person' only in highly formal writing.

2. used after 'or' to say what will happen if something is not done, or to present

2.adverbB1
Definition

used after 'or' to say what will happen if something is not done, or to present a different possibility.

Example

You need to book the tickets today, or else the price will go up tomorrow.

or else + clause — warning / consequence

Hamza must be stuck in traffic, or else his phone battery died.

or else — alternative possibility

Common collocations
  • or else
Synonyms
  • otherwise

    slightly more formal and neutral in tone; 'or else' can carry a stronger warning feel.

Grammar Patterns

[clause A] + or else + [clause B]

Usage Note

'Or else' can sound like a threat or warning when spoken with emphasis. When you simply mean 'if not,' the neutral 'otherwise' is safer in professional writing. In questions or guesses about alternative situations, 'or else' is perfectly neutral.

Common Mistakes

Finish your dinner, or else.' (incomplete — a bare 'or else' as a threat is an informal idiom, not standard written English)
Finish your dinner, or else you will not get dessert.
include the consequence clause.

❌ 'Or else he will come.' (ambiguous — unclear if it is a threat or an alternative) — add context to make the meaning clear.

Idioms

or else

idiom

Used to say what will happen if something is not done.

Finish your homework now, or else you cannot watch TV.

She must be sick, or else she would be at work.

else — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

'Else' is unique among these because it must follow the word it modifies (someone else, what else); the others are standard adjectives placed before nouns. 'Other' is the most direct equivalent but has a different structure ('other people' vs. 'someone else'). 'Additional' adds a formal, quantitative feel — you would use it in business writing ('additional costs') where 'else' would sound too casual. 'Different' focuses on the contrast between two items ('a different approach'), while 'else' more neutrally signals 'not this one.' 'Extra' implies surplus beyond what is expected ('extra credit'), whereas 'else' simply means 'more of the same category.' For a learner: use 'else' when the modified word is an indefinite pronoun or question word; use the others before concrete nouns.

other ↗additional ↗different ↗extra ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • someone else
  • anyone else
  • everyone else
  • something else
  • nothing else
  • everything else

Phrases

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Old English 'elles,' meaning 'other, otherwise, different,' from a Proto-Germanic root *aljaz ('other'). It is related to the Latin 'alius' (other) and the Greek 'allos' (other). The word has been used in its postpositive position — after the word it modifies — since the Old English period, which is an unusual word-order feature that English has preserved for over a thousand years.