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if
1[ if ]
conjunction
- in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that:
Sing if you want to. Stay indoors if it rains. I'll go if you do.
- even though:
an enthusiastic if small audience.
- whether:
He asked if I knew Spanish.
- (used to introduce an exclamatory phrase):
If only Dad could see me now!
- when or whenever:
If it was raining, we had to play inside.
noun
- a supposition; uncertain possibility:
The future is full of ifs.
- a condition, requirement, or stipulation:
There are too many ifs in his agreement.
if
2IF
1abbreviation for
- intermediate frequency
if
2/ ɪf /
conjunction
- in case that, or on condition that
if you try hard it might work
if he were poor, would you marry him?
- used to introduce an indirect question. In this sense, if approaches the meaning of whether
- even though
an attractive if awkward girl
- used to introduce expressions of desire, with only
if I had only known
- used to introduce exclamations of surprise, dismay, etc
if this doesn't top everything!
- as ifas it would be if; as though
he treats me as if I were junior to him
noun
- an uncertainty or doubt
the big if is whether our plan will work at all
- a condition or stipulation
I won't have any ifs or buts
Usage Note
Word History and Origins
Origin of if1
Word History and Origins
Origin of if1
Idioms and Phrases
- ifs, ands, or buts, reservations, restrictions, or excuses:
I want that job finished today, and no ifs, ands, or buts.
More idioms and phrases containing if
- as if
- damned if I do, damned if I don't
- make as if to
- no ifs or buts
- nothing if not
- (if) push comes to shove
- what if
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
“If something's not a part of the government itself, that speaks to a sort of parallel government, like the Communist Party in the Soviet Union,” Lofgren said.
The so-called resistance is still in shock if not prematurely surrendering.
Trump has filled out his Cabinet and other senior positions with loyalists who will enthusiastically implement his commands, even if they are unconscionable and/or illegal.
If you want to assemble the infrastructure of an authoritarian government, this is how you do it.
Honan is prepared to put mayors and other public officials in prison if they unlawfully interfere with the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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