if only
idiom
—used to talk about something that one wants to happen or be true
If only she loved me in return!
If only it would stop raining.
Examples of if only in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Now if only those Starbucks drinks could make it to all of us watching from home!
—
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
The toy train click-clacks around the ceiling, if only occasionally.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
Hold your nose and apologize to Harry, if only for your daughter’s sake.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 23 Nov. 2025
The account was confirmed to be fake by McCarthy’s agent, and finally was suspended, if only temporarily.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for if only
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Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
The toy train click-clacks around the ceiling, if only occasionally.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
Hold your nose and apologize to Harry, if only for your daughter’s sake.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 23 Nov. 2025
The account was confirmed to be fake by McCarthy’s agent, and finally was suspended, if only temporarily.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for if only
Cite this Entry
“If only.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/if%20only. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.
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