OR Operator

Match rows where at least one condition is true

Beginner 10 minORfilteringlogic

OR: At Least One Condition Must Be True

OR combines conditions and requires at least one to be true. Unlike AND which narrows results, OR broadens them — any row matching at least one condition is included. Here's what to know:

OR adds matching rows — Each additional OR condition includes more rows in the result. Useful for checking a column against several possible values in a single query without writing separate statements.

The precedence trap — AND binds tighter than OR. category = 'Electronics' OR category = 'Furniture' AND price > 100 reads as Electronics OR (Furniture AND price > 100) — almost certainly not what you intended to write.

Always use parentheses — (category = 'Electronics' OR category = 'Furniture') AND price > 100 makes the grouping explicit. The OR resolves first, then AND applies to the combined result correctly.

For long lists, use IN — When checking against 3+ values, WHERE country IN ('India', 'Japan', 'Australia') is far cleaner and easier to read than chaining three separate OR conditions together.

Knowledge Canvas

How OR Works

At least one condition must be true

OR broadens results — more conditions = more rows
Only ONE condition needs to be TRUE for inclusion
OR has lower precedence than AND
Often replaceable with IN for cleaner syntax

OR Gotchas

Mixing AND with OR is the #1 trap

a AND b OR c means (a AND b) OR c — not a AND (b OR c)
Always use parentheses when mixing AND and OR
Multiple ORs on same column → use IN instead
OR can prevent index usage — watch for full table scans

OR vs IN

When to use which

OR: flexible — any condition type

IN: only same-column equality checks

country = 'IN' OR country = 'US'

country IN ('IN', 'US')

Verbose with many values

Clean and readable with lists

Can combine different columns

Single column only

OR Truth Table

Quick reference

TRUE OR FALSE → TRUE
FALSE OR FALSE → FALSE
TRUE OR NULL → TRUE
FALSE OR NULL → NULL (excluded)

Syntax

Syntax Template

1WHERE condition1

2 OR condition2;

4-- Mix with AND using parentheses

5WHERE (cond1 OR cond2)

6 AND cond3;

ORAt least one condition must be true

( )ALWAYS use parentheses when mixing AND and OR

Sample Data

orders

12 rows

id	customer_id	status	total
5001	C1001	delivered	59.98
5002	C1002	delivered	449
5003	C1001	shipped	12.5
5004	C1003	delivered	89.99
5005	C1006	pending	245
5006	C1005	delivered	159
5007	C1004	shipped	45.5
5008	C1009	cancelled	79
5009	C1012	delivered	425
5010	C1007	pending	18.99
5011	C1008	delivered	134
5012	C1010	cancelled	65.5

products

10 rows

id	name	category	price	stock
P101	Wireless Mouse	Electronics	24.99	150
P102	Office Desk	Furniture	189	25
P103	LED Desk Lamp	Furniture	45.5	80
P104	USB-C Cable	Electronics	12.99	500
P105	Bluetooth Speaker	Electronics	79	60
P106	Office Chair	Furniture	95	15
P107	Coffee Maker	Appliances	89.99	40
P108	Notebook Set	Stationery	8.5	200
P109	Wireless Headphones	Electronics	159	30
P110	Standing Desk	Furniture	425	8

Worked Example

Find all orders that are either 'pending' or 'shipped'.

SQL

1SELECT

2 id,

3 status,

4 total

5FROM orders

6WHERE status = 'pending'

7 OR status = 'shipped';

Each row is checked: is status 'pending'? If yes, include it. If no, is status 'shipped'? If yes, include it. If neither, exclude it. This gives us all non-delivered, non-cancelled orders.

Output

4 rows

id	status	total
5003	shipped	12.5
5005	pending	245
5007	shipped	45.5
5010	pending	18.99

Common Mistakes

❌

Mixing AND/OR without parentheses

SQL

1SELECT

2 *

3FROM products

4WHERE category = 'Electronics'

5 OR category = 'Furniture'

6 AND price > 100;

This is read as: Electronics OR (Furniture AND price > 100). All electronics pass regardless of price — not the intended behavior.

Use parentheses: WHERE (category = 'Electronics' OR category = 'Furniture') AND price > 100

Key Concepts

1OR broadens results — AND narrows them

2Always use parentheses when mixing OR with AND

3For 3+ value checks, prefer IN over chained ORs

4A OR B AND C means A OR (B AND C) — not (A OR B) AND C

Pro Tip

OR lets you match multiple alternatives. Combined with AND and parentheses, you can express arbitrarily complex filters.

When to Use

Orders that are pending or shipped, customers from selected countries, products in multiple categories.

Challenge

Solve the problem below

Find all products that are either in 'Electronics' or 'Furniture' category AND cost more than 30. Use parentheses correctly.

Your Query

AND Operator

ORDER BY