Word info Synonyms

what if

Speech parts

1. what if - Noun

2. what if - Verb

3. what if - Adverb

Meaning

Used to introduce a suggestion or proposal for a future event.
What if we arrange it for 9:00 instead of 10:00?

Used to introduce a speculation about a future event.
What if we could learn to get along? What would happen then?

Used to introduce a speculation about a past event. Often the basis for counterfactual historical interpretations.
What if Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated? How might the Reconstruction of the Southern States have been handled?

what-if (plural what-ifs)

(informal) A speculation as to what might have happened if something else had happened earlier.

what-if (third-person singular simple present what-ifs, present participle what-iffing, simple past and past participle what-iffed)

(informal) To speculate about the consequences of something that could have happened.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Alternative names

what-if

Synonyms

Related terms

Examples

After all, what if zie finds someone else who is more attractive/intelligent/well-liked/successful/etc. Source: Internet

All I kept thinking was: what if I never get to see my family again? Source: Internet

After hearing Pierce's tune on the Apple Music playlist Honky Tonk Essentials, "I was like 'Man, what if I made a beat and sample that?' Source: Internet

A friend of the flight attendant had seen headlines about planned layoffs, and asked her if she thought that she would lose her job, saying, “What if you’ve already flown your last fight?” Source: Internet

Alternatives to Roundup such as Liberty (glufosinate-ammonium) may be less effective than Roundup in certain situations, but what if we could spray them better? Source: Internet

And I hope you think about it as well, but what if there’s not a tomorrow? Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms