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• if
  if

  conjunction

  in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that.
• IF
  IF

  abbreviation

  intermediate frequency

if

¹ American  

[if] / ɪf /

conjunction

1. 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.

2. even though.

   an enthusiastic if small audience.

3. whether.

   He asked if I knew Spanish.

4. (used to introduce an exclamatory phrase).

   If only Dad could see me now!

5. when or whenever.

   If it was raining, we had to play inside.

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noun

• ifs
  plural

1. a supposition; uncertain possibility.

   The future is full of ifs.

2. a condition, requirement, or stipulation.

   There are too many ifs in his agreement.

idioms

1. ifs, ands, or buts, reservations, restrictions, or excuses.

   I want that job finished today, and no ifs, ands, or buts.

if ² American  

Or IF

Radio.

1. intermediate frequency.

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if ¹ British  

/ ɪf /

conjunction

1. in case that, or on condition that

   if you try hard it might work

   if he were poor, would you marry him?

2. used to introduce an indirect question. In this sense, if approaches the meaning of whether

3. even though

   an attractive if awkward girl

4. 1. used to introduce expressions of desire, with only

      if I had only known

   2. used to introduce exclamations of surprise, dismay, etc

      if this doesn't top everything!

5. as it would be if; as though

   he treats me as if I were junior to him

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noun

1. an uncertainty or doubt

   the big if is whether our plan will work at all

2. a condition or stipulation

   I won't have any ifs or buts

IF ² British  

abbreviation

1. intermediate frequency

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if More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing if

• (if) push comes to shove
• as if
• damned if I do, damned if I don't
• make as if to
• no ifs or buts
• nothing if not
• what if

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Usage

If meaning “whether,” as in I haven't decided if I'll go, is sometimes criticized, but the usage is long established as standard.

Synonym Usage

If, provided, providing imply a condition on which something depends. If is general. It may be used to indicate suppositions or hypothetical conditions (often involving doubt or uncertainty): If you like, we can go straight home. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone. If may mean even though: If I am wrong, you are not right. It may mean whenever: If I do not understand, I ask questions. Provided always indicates some stipulation: I will subscribe ten dollars provided ( on the condition ) that you do, too. Provided he goes, we can go along. Providing means the same as provided, that is, just in case some certain thing should happen: We will buy the house, providing ( provided ) we can get a mortgage.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ifs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of if

First recorded before 900; Middle English, variant of yif, Old English gif, gef; akin to Old Norse ef “if,” Gothic ibai “whether,” Old High German iba “condition, stipulation”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

if IF ifs

“Sometimes you need to do things that might be unpopular if it’s going to be something that benefits the greater good. A healthy economy is the tide that raises all ships.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Vigil organisers had asked people to wear black if possible, and to bring flowers.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The lockup schedule means that investors who held pre-IPO stakes in SpaceX were barred from selling stock until at least Aug. 6, if not later.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Discovery WBD -0.13%decrease; red down pointing triangle , money that would go to the company if it ultimately wins the case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

What if someone sees her, a Filipino woman, laughing and having fun with the Japanese?

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

It’s what you put there because IF this thing works, that slice changes everything.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 23, 2025

Luis Rengifo, 29, IF, 0.3, 6.6: Rengifo hits the open market after seven seasons with the Angels and could command a two-or three-year deal at about a $10 million AAV.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025

Tesla came to Sweden back in 2014, and IF Metall has long wanted to secure a collective agreement with the company.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2025

He told a publicist who worked at Wayfarer, “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when movie comes out. Plans make me feel more at ease.”

From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2024

But 1 IF had had a couple of ski masks, so the girls could wear those day and night.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

On Wednesday, Wenders said the actress "should have been better protected back then", adding: "For that, I apologise to you, Nastassja, unreservedly, no ifs and buts."

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

I can sometimes get lost in the what ifs.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

The money is now yours, no ifs, ands, or buts.

From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026

Don’t look back with regret or what ifs.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 5, 2026

“We’re in this together. One of us goes to the colony, all three of us go to the colony. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas