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

The American experiment in egalitarian, multiethnic democracy fills these intellectuals with anxiety, if not loathing. —George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2025

Trump convincing the Ellisons to make a new installment of Rush Hour, whose broad racial humor might have been unwelcome a few years ago (if not much earlier), may be one of the capstones of his cultural influence as president this time around. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 24 Nov. 2025

There have been WAGs with just as much if not more fame than their players before her. —Zoe Guy, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025

Thank God the customers rolled in, and each one got a signature piece hot from his hands, no chapati allowed to cool, but thrown into the scrap bin if not taken right away. —Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for if not

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