1
as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning
your conclusion may turn out to be accurate, but you're postulating a lot of ifs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in condition
something upon which the carrying out of an agreement or offer depends
there are a number of ifs in the proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of if
The new strategy means the doc fix happens only if Republicans can get a reconciliation package across the finish line — a big if.
—
Peter Sullivan, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
The question about Running Point getting a season 2 is not really an if, but a when.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
There is an if here, in other words.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2025
That’s a big if, needless to say.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025
If all goes well—and this is a huge if, Gialich readily acknowledges—Odin will fly by its target asteroid 301 days later.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
There was an if-not-now-then-when feeling in Buffalo this week.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
New experimental and theoretical results, new tools and private sector investment are all adding to our growing sense that developing practical fusion energy is no longer an if but a when.
—Farhat Beg, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
Yes, derivatives can pay off on all sorts of inflationary outcomes (if the counterparty is solvent enough to pay—a big if).
—James Berman, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Peter Sullivan, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
The question about Running Point getting a season 2 is not really an if, but a when.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
There is an if here, in other words.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2025
That’s a big if, needless to say.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025
If all goes well—and this is a huge if, Gialich readily acknowledges—Odin will fly by its target asteroid 301 days later.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
There was an if-not-now-then-when feeling in Buffalo this week.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
New experimental and theoretical results, new tools and private sector investment are all adding to our growing sense that developing practical fusion energy is no longer an if but a when.
—Farhat Beg, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
Yes, derivatives can pay off on all sorts of inflationary outcomes (if the counterparty is solvent enough to pay—a big if).
—James Berman, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for if
Noun
-
Even under the assumption Aaron Rodgers finally drops the charade and signs, the Steelers need to make some sort of effort to secure a young quarterback.—
Derrik Klassen,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Courts generally proceed on the assumption that government officials have acted properly.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
As far as the long-term effects, frequent and heavy alcohol consumption can lead to serious health conditions like liver disease, heart problems, increased cancer risk and damage to the nervous system.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
-
California’s capital city was ranked 13th for Easter traditions and was in eighth place overall for weather conditions, according to WalletHub. Which other California cities made the list?—
Kendrick Marshall,
Sacbee.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The site goes on to advance the theory that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab and undermines Trump’s political rivals like Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2025
-
That’s just a theory, not a spoiler or even a prediction.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
With key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set to expire at the end of this year, Washington is debating tax reform behind closed doors, and their decisions will reverberate through every corner of American life.—
Jack Salmon,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Social Security has promised to increase benefits and make retroactive payments to people affected by the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset.—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Assuming the roster gets back to full health, the givens ahead of Pelle in the rotation would be Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins and, perhaps, Davion Mitchell.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2025
-
There are some givens in the B’s lineup, as long as there’s good health.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2024
Noun
-
Marrying Business Impact With Economics While the industry has witnessed a proliferation of smaller, specialized AI models, significant AI chip innovation remains essential to deliver the performance requirements for supporting advanced reasoning and multimodal models.—
Maribel Lopez,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
This is a repeating annual fixture between the same two boat clubs each year, with no requirement to defeat anyone to get there so a roughly 50% chance of winning for each team and Etonian Matthew Pinsent there to ensure both fair play and the patina of poshness that is at the event's heart.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The two parties had yet to reach an agreement on the exact language for the stipulation, and planned to continue discussions overnight and into a hearing Thursday.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2025
-
But Albert Breer reported the NFL has changed those eligibility rules, removing the playoff stipulation.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, days like Wednesday have to be the exception.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The state of exception allowed the police to feel that the government had their backs.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“If.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/if. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share