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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

Original screenwriter Alex Garland, meanwhile, has become a signature filmmaker of his own, recently releasing the disturbing what-if action movie “Civil War.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2025

A Hollywood strike actually made it possible to do both, but Selleck is at peace, writing “my only regret was that the what-if was there from time to time.”

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

“You are absolutely right. This hummer has an established life cycle. You get into that what-if? game. What if it got into human lungs? If it mutates, it could be a problem. A big problem.”

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

But what if I want the sausage another way?

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

But what if you have a hunch that one group will be a drag, or if you have ethical or religious reasons not to profit from certain businesses?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Mary, given your familiarity with the work of Martin and “GOT,” what, if anything, can be done to make us care about where “House of the Dragon” goes in its final season?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

And what if the worst happened, and the U.S. government actually ended up imposing any official “haircut” on Treasury bonds, paying out less than 100 cents on the dollar even in nominal terms?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

But what if Jessica was like that, too?

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott