if only
Americanidiom
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(used to express a wish or regret).
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(used before a reason why someone is doing something, to express that the reason may be a trivial one.)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So while he might know that his brother’s expectation that you pay for meals out is unreasonable, the cost may be worth it to him, if only to avoid disrupting the system.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Sometimes the energy of all that “na-na-nah”-ing is infectious enough to unify rivals, if only for a few measures of music.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
But now a number of banks have started to consider whether there could be a need for both, even if only as a defensive play, as some executives worry stablecoins could encroach on their businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Tourists hauled their suitcases over the doorstep into the fray, fresh off a flight or rushing to make one, if only they could get one last chicken finger first.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Ha, take that, rope, and that! No rope can keep Ragear prisoner for long, he, he, he! Poor old Shadow, if only you could see your lovely rope now!”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
