if not for

idiom

: in the absence of (something or someone) : without

If not for modern medicine, fewer babies would survive.

If not for him, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

In all likelihood, there would have been another production record set in 2020 if not for Covid. —Robert Rapier, Forbes, 3 May 2023

As for Bowen-Fontenot, her winning time of 14.01 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles would have been eye-popping if not for an over-the-allowable 3.2 meter per second aiding wind that denied her the record. —Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2023

The comeback win would not have been possible if not for some stout relief by left-hander Caleb Ferguson, who replaced Yency Almonte with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the eighth and struck out No. 3 batter Ian Happ and cleanup man Suzuki. —Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2023

Amatssou may not have come to fruition if not for Jack White, who invited Tinariwen to record at his private Nashville studio in 2021 with Lanois and local country musicians Wes Corbett and Fats Kaplin. —Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 14 Mar. 2023

That number would be even lower if not for an agreement forged in July by the United Nations, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine, called the Black Sea Grain Initiative, in which Russia agreed to allow exports from three Ukrainian seaports. —Ana Swanson, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2023

Paradise Valley Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner, who has been outspoken in the fight for local short-term rental control, said the vacation rental industry would likely have blocked SB 1168 from passing if not for the moratorium. —Juliette Rihl, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2022

The muscle pumps would be useless if not for one-way values in veins located below the heart. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 May 2023

Music Meet Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma, the Mexican regional stars making history on the pop charts April 26, 2023 Álvarez may have continued his career as a brash playboy — dating a rotating cast of models and publicly beefing with other models — if not for the pandemic. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023

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