if not
idiom
1
—used to talk about the negative result or effect of something
You should study. If not, you won't pass the test.
2
—used to express surprise about meeting someone when it is not expected
So I went to the game and who should I see there if not my old friend Tom!
Examples of if not in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Resort 2021 Photo: Courtesy of Chanel Photo: Courtesy of Chanel
The location: The show would have been shown in Capri if not for the pandemic.
—
Steff Yotka, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2024
Proposal reflects potential for health benefits The cannabis plant has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries if not millennia.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2024
Painting himself as a defender of student safety, the Republican House speaker instead put hundreds if not thousands of anti-war protesters in danger — Jewish students included — by conflating their pro-Palestinian stances with sympathy for Hamas.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2024
There must be some sort of ceiling, some point of exhaustion—if not emotional, then financial.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2024
Campbell Heritage Theatre, Campbell Students who attended Campbell Union High School decades ago performed on the stage of what had to have been one of the most impressive school auditoriums in the state, if not the country.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2024
He could have been mistaken for a true country traditionalist if not for his habit of inserting the F-word into literally every sentence, or close to it, between numbers.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Apr. 2024
One position on offense that ostensibly still needs addressing is center — if not for immediate need, for succession planning.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2024
The writers are smart enough to give their characters hundreds — if not thousands, for some of them — years to learn and change and grow.
—Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Steff Yotka, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2024
Proposal reflects potential for health benefits The cannabis plant has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries if not millennia.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2024
Painting himself as a defender of student safety, the Republican House speaker instead put hundreds if not thousands of anti-war protesters in danger — Jewish students included — by conflating their pro-Palestinian stances with sympathy for Hamas.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2024
There must be some sort of ceiling, some point of exhaustion—if not emotional, then financial.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2024
Campbell Heritage Theatre, Campbell Students who attended Campbell Union High School decades ago performed on the stage of what had to have been one of the most impressive school auditoriums in the state, if not the country.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2024
He could have been mistaken for a true country traditionalist if not for his habit of inserting the F-word into literally every sentence, or close to it, between numbers.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Apr. 2024
One position on offense that ostensibly still needs addressing is center — if not for immediate need, for succession planning.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2024
The writers are smart enough to give their characters hundreds — if not thousands, for some of them — years to learn and change and grow.
—Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'if not.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near if not
Cite this Entry
“If not.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/if%20not. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
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