diff --git a/apps/rebar/src/rebar_packages.erl b/apps/rebar/src/rebar_packages.erl
index 5f39ac39b..445d7a06c 100644
--- a/apps/rebar/src/rebar_packages.erl
+++ b/apps/rebar/src/rebar_packages.erl
@@ -376,31 +376,31 @@ handle_missing_no_exception(Fun, Dep, State) ->
 resolve_version_(Dep, DepVsn, Repo, HexRegistry, State) ->
     case DepVsn of
         <<"~>", Vsn/binary>> ->
-            highest_matching(Dep, rm_ws(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State);
+            highest_matching(Dep, process_vsn(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State);
         <<">=", Vsn/binary>> ->
-            cmp(Dep, rm_ws(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:gte/2);
+            cmp(Dep, process_vsn(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:gte/2);
         <<">", Vsn/binary>> ->
-            cmp(Dep, rm_ws(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:gt/2);
+            cmp(Dep, process_vsn(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:gt/2);
         <<"<=", Vsn/binary>> ->
-            cmpl(Dep, rm_ws(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:lte/2);
+            cmpl(Dep, process_vsn(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:lte/2);
         <<"<", Vsn/binary>> ->
-            cmpl(Dep, rm_ws(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:lt/2);
+            cmpl(Dep, process_vsn(Vsn), Repo, HexRegistry, State, fun ec_semver:lt/2);
         <<"==", Vsn/binary>> ->
             {ok, Vsn};
         Vsn ->
             {ok, Vsn}
     end.
 
-rm_ws(<<" ", R/binary>>) ->
-    ec_semver:parse(rm_ws(R));
-rm_ws(R) ->
-    ec_semver:parse(R).
+process_vsn(Vsn) ->
+    [Vsn1|_] = string:split(Vsn, <<" or ">>),
+    Vsn2 = string:trim(Vsn1),
+    ec_semver:parse(Vsn2).
 
 valid_vsn(Vsn) ->
     %% Regepx from https://github.com/sindresorhus/semver-regex/blob/master/index.js
     SemVerRegExp = "v?(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)(\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*))?"
         "(-[0-9a-z-]+(\\.[0-9a-z-]+)*)?(\\+[0-9a-z-]+(\\.[0-9a-z-]+)*)?",
-    SupportedVersions = "^(>=?|<=?|~>|==)?\\s*" ++ SemVerRegExp ++ "$",
+    SupportedVersions = "^(>=?|<=?|~>|==)?\\s*" ++ SemVerRegExp ++ "( or .*)?$",
     re:run(Vsn, SupportedVersions, [unicode]) =/= nomatch.
 
 highest_matching(Dep, Vsn, Repo, HexRegistry, State) ->
diff --git a/apps/rebar/test/rebar_deps_SUITE.erl b/apps/rebar/test/rebar_deps_SUITE.erl
index 0618bd2c0..84e4b9e7a 100644
--- a/apps/rebar/test/rebar_deps_SUITE.erl
+++ b/apps/rebar/test/rebar_deps_SUITE.erl
@@ -499,6 +499,8 @@ valid_version(_Config) ->
     ?assert(rebar_packages:valid_vsn(<<"~>0.1.0">>)),
     ?assert(rebar_packages:valid_vsn(<<"~> 0.1.0">>)),
     ?assert(rebar_packages:valid_vsn(<<"~>  0.1.0">>)),
+    ?assert(rebar_packages:valid_vsn(<<"~> 0.1 or 0.5">>)),
+    ?assert(rebar_packages:valid_vsn(<<"~> 0.1-or-something">>)),
     ?assertNot(rebar_packages:valid_vsn(<<"> 0.1.0 and < 0.2.0">>)),
     ok.
 
diff --git a/apps/rebar/test/rebar_pkg_repos_SUITE.erl b/apps/rebar/test/rebar_pkg_repos_SUITE.erl
index 1a29fc63d..76654c131 100644
--- a/apps/rebar/test/rebar_pkg_repos_SUITE.erl
+++ b/apps/rebar/test/rebar_pkg_repos_SUITE.erl
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ all() ->
 
 groups() ->
     [{resolve_version, [use_first_repo_match, use_exact_with_hash, fail_repo_update,
-                        ignore_match_in_excluded_repo, optional_prereleases]}].
+                        ignore_match_in_excluded_repo, optional_prereleases,
+                        or_in_prerelease
+                       ]}].
 
 init_per_group(resolve_version, Config) ->
     Repo1 = <<"test-repo-1">>,
@@ -106,7 +108,7 @@ init_per_testcase(ignore_match_in_excluded_repo, Config) ->
                 fun(_State) -> true end),
 
     [{state, State} | Config];
-init_per_testcase(optional_prereleases, Config) ->
+init_per_testcase(Case, Config) when Case =:= optional_prereleases; Case =:= or_in_prerelease ->
     Deps = ?config(deps, Config),
     Repos = ?config(repos, Config),
 
@@ -145,7 +147,8 @@ end_per_testcase(Case, _Config) when Case =:= use_first_repo_match ;
                                      Case =:= use_exact_with_hash ;
                                      Case =:= fail_repo_update ;
                                      Case =:= ignore_match_in_excluded_repo ;
-                                     Case =:= optional_prereleases ->
+                                     Case =:= optional_prereleases ;
+                                     Case =:= or_in_prerelease ->
     meck:unload(rebar_packages);
 end_per_testcase(_, _) ->
     ok.
@@ -459,6 +462,24 @@ optional_prereleases(Config) ->
                  rebar_packages:resolve_version(<<"B">>, <<"~> 1.5.0">>, <<"inner checksum">>, <<"outer checksum">>,
                                                 ?PACKAGE_TABLE, State1)).
 
+or_in_prerelease(Config) ->
+    State = ?config(state, Config),
+
+    ?assertMatch({ok,{package,{<<"B">>, {{1,5,0}, {[],[]}}, Hexpm},
+                     <<"inner checksum">>,<<"outer checksum">>, false, []},
+                  #{name := Hexpm,
+                    http_adapter := {rebar_httpc_adapter, #{profile := rebar}}}},
+                 rebar_packages:resolve_version(<<"B">>, <<"~> 1.5.0">>, undefined, undefined,
+                                                ?PACKAGE_TABLE, State)),
+
+    State1 = rebar_state:set(State, deps_allow_prerelease, true),
+    ?assertMatch({ok,{package,{<<"B">>, {{1,5,6}, {[<<"rc">>,0],[]}}, Hexpm},
+                      <<"inner checksum">>,<<"outer checksum">>, true, []},
+                  #{name := Hexpm,
+                    http_adapter := {rebar_httpc_adapter, #{profile := rebar}}}},
+                 rebar_packages:resolve_version(<<"B">>, <<"~> 1.5.5-a-or-b.0">>, <<"inner checksum">>, <<"outer checksum">>,
+                                                ?PACKAGE_TABLE, State1)).
+
 %%
 
 setup_deps_and_repos(Deps, Repos) ->