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

So how else will Trump be memorialized if not for Mount Rushmore? —Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025

Polls show that immigration is one of —if not the—most important issues for the electorate this year. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Aug. 2025

Many observers have interpreted Hamas’s immediate endorsement as a sign of weakness, if not desperation. —Leila Seurat, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025

What is activewear if not a state of mind? —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for if not

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot