what-if

noun

ˌ(h)wät-ˈif,
ˌ(h)wət- How to pronounce what-if (audio)
: a suppositional question
what-if adjective

Examples of what-if in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That isn’t to say Burns’ safely declarative dialogue and what-if storytelling won’t spur you to think of your own relationship and matters of fulfillment. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025 Any postmortem of a tough season-ending loss is going to include some lingering what-if moments. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2025 Cochrane, 52, and Porter, 43, turned the breezy online exchange into a what-if conversation. John Branch, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025 Tax season always seems to start off with some kind of quirky, what-if component. Susan Tompor, The Enquirer, 12 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for what-if

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of what-if was in 1970

Cite this Entry

“What-if.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/what-if. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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