adverb
else
ELS/els/
Other than what has already been mentioned.
The diner passes over the pear and chooses something else: an apple.
Etymology
Old English elles already covered both “otherwise” and “besides.” These meanings survive when else points to an alternative or to something additional.
In context
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm a 7, baby, and everybody else is a 4.
More examples
- Try somewhere else.
- I have nothing else to add.
- Everyone else has left.
Forms
else
Similar words
- otherwise
- Fits an alternative state or action rather than additional quantity.