unless

Universal Words conjunction 1 used to say that sth can only happen or be true in a particular situation: You won't get paid for time off unless you have a doctor's note. * I won't tell them-not unless you say I can. * Unless I'm mistaken, she was back at work yesterday. * He hasn't got any hobbies-unless you call watching TV a hobby. 2 used to give the only situation in which sth will not happen or be true: I sleep with the window open unless it's really cold. * Unless something unexpected happens, I'll see you tomorrow. * Have a cup of tea-unless you'd prefer a cold drink? HELPNOTE Unless is used to talk about a situation that could happen, or something that could be true, in the future. If you know that something has not happened or that sth is not true, use if...not: If you weren't always in such a hurry (= but you are), your work would be much better. * _Y_o_u_r_ _w_o_r_k_ _w_o_u_l_d_ _b_e_ _m_u_c_h_ _b_e_t_t_e_r_ _u_n_l_e_s_s_ _y_o_u_ _w_e_r_e_ _a_l_w_a_y_s_ _i_n_ _s_u_c_h_ _a_ _h_u_r_r_y_.