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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

"It's always been what-if, and now the what-if has come true. It still hasn't sunk in that I'll be there on 17 May playing."

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

Its cast is exactly the sprightly ensemble needed to land its what-if laughs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

What starts out as hopeful scrolling quickly turns into defeat, and I sort of wish I could start a support group for all these people with their regrets and what-if fantasies.

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

Last week, we asked what, if anything, should be done about surging mortgage rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

But what if they make some people sick instead?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

"But when a fire starts in a nearby village you start wondering – 'and what if we're next?'."

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

“No,” Owen says, “well, yeah. But, like, what if we did a presentation or something at the elementary school?”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz