what-if

[hwuht-if, hwot‑, wuht‑, wot‑]

adjective

1. hypothetical.

   a what-if scenario.

noun

1. a hypothetical case or situation; conjecture.

   a series of what-ifs.

what-if

noun

1. informal,  a hypothetical question; speculation

   one of the great what-ifs of modern history

Word History and Origins

Origin of what-if¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Idioms and Phrases

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.