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

And that rushing total would’ve been more if not for those final two carries being Young taking a knee — head coach Dave Canales opted to kneel instead of risking injury on the Panthers’ final drive. —Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025

From the moment James first meets Samuel West's waspish Siegfried Farnon, the two fall into a jovial (if not always smooth) mentor-mentee humor. —Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025

For all its ability to switch to stealth mode and remain unseen for months, refuelling a nuclear submarine is quite a time-consuming process and can take up to three years, if not more. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025

Roan is far from the only popular singer to have called out Bardot in song, as an iconic reference, if not necessarily a deeply personal one. —Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for if not

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