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

For now, January’s report looks like a solid break in the gloom, if not the beginning of a boom. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026

But that can slow or complicate a production, if not anger the director and producers. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026

Most, if not all, of our clients are going out into the world as less than their whole selves out of necessity, as a survival tactic. —Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 11 Feb. 2026

The Giants will always carry at least one, if not two, outfielders on the bench, and utility players Tyler Fitzgerald and Christian Koss have professional experience in the outfield. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for if not

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