Jump To:

• 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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

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

But what if they could have more unstructured time outdoors?

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

The clarification comes amid uncertainty over what, if any, security the Sussexes will have paid for by the state.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

But what if he says no, just as Autry said no to Long Beach all those years ago?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

So what if an NFL prospect turned LSU player has to skulk back to the Cleveland Browns?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

“How did your mom know where to send the postcards? Like, what if your family moved in with a different relative?”

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller