if only
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here is the Premier League table if only goals scored from outside the box had counted in 2025-26.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
She’s the one who got away, if only to come back to give you a piece of her mind.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Which is why you might want to take an interest in what’s actually happening inside these homes — even if only for selfish reasons.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
Political leaders are often keen to be seen with AI's top names, Thibout added, if only to help get some of their huge development spending for their states or regions.
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
It is the knowledge or the conviction that if only we wished to understand them we could do so at any time.
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.
