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
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
Playing tough guys early in his career, Hunnam says, was his way of trying to bridge the gap between him and his father, to prove he could be like him, even if only in fiction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Suddenly I realized the learning opportunity that had been quietly on offer in all those place names, if only I’d been street-smart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Think, children! Surely there was something in your research about peaceful communication between ostriches. Oh, if only we had some of the admiral’s Savory Pickled Ostrich Treats as an offering of friendship!”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
