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• what-if
  what-if

  adjective

  hypothetical.
• what if
  what if

  Suppose that, as in What if the speaker doesn't get here in time? This expression is in effect a shortening of “what would happen if.” It was first recorded about 1420.

what-if

American  

[hwuht-if, hwot‑, wuht‑, wot‑] / ˈʰwʌtˈɪf, ˈʰwɒt‑, ˈwʌt‑, ˈwɒt‑ /

adjective

1. hypothetical.

   a what-if scenario.

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noun

1. a hypothetical case or situation; conjecture.

   a series of what-ifs.

what-if British  

noun

1. informal a hypothetical question; speculation

   one of the great what-ifs of modern history

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what if Idioms  

1. Suppose that, as in What if the speaker doesn't get here in time? This expression is in effect a shortening of “what would happen if.” It was first recorded about 1420.

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Etymology

Origin of what-if

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

what-if what if

Perhaps the trickiest what-if scenario involves eldercare concerns.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

Stacy Schlachter, senior vice president of sales at Penske Logistics, said customers increasingly ask the third-party logistics provider to help them plan for what-if scenarios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Mattingly said he doesn’t play the what-if game when thinking about that team.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2025

Rangers folk may feel tortured by those what-if moments as much as the missed penalty much later on.

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2024

“I had to answer that what-if question with Hudson. Just like we answered our own.”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

"And what if crops could one day obtain nitrogen directly from atmospheric N2?"

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

The overarching question shrouding the film is not, “Did they do it?” but rather, “So what if they did?”

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

But what if we thought about this differently?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

But what if they could have more unstructured time outdoors?

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

“Okay, but what if your time is more valuable to me?”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith