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.
You could say Yamamoto rises to the October occasion, but Mookie Betts would not say that, if only because Yamamoto rises to the occasion on just about every occasion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"If only, if only he had been able to appreciate that moment of the family in Downing Street," Burnham said of his first day in his new role.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Seniors who own their own home can consider getting reverse-mortgage counseling, if only to familiarize themselves with the option.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 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
Boyle, it is true, wanted to bring alchemy a little into the public eye, if only in order to make it easier for alchemists to identify each other—Newton immediately told him off, recommending ‘high silence’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
