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
There is no magic pill that can make menopause disappear (if only).
—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 3 Sep. 2025
That discovery is due to the return of Tom, again nicely played by Allen Leach, who is in cahoots with Laura Carmichael’s feisty Edith to get to the truth, if only for the sake of this entire family empire.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Analyzing data from the Current Population Survey, Western and Rosenfeld find that declining union membership accounts for a fifth of the 40 percent increase in men’s wage inequality if only individual union membership is taken into account.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 1 Sep. 2025
Their leadership in the public sector and labor unions is second to none, if only officials would listen to them.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
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Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 3 Sep. 2025
That discovery is due to the return of Tom, again nicely played by Allen Leach, who is in cahoots with Laura Carmichael’s feisty Edith to get to the truth, if only for the sake of this entire family empire.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Analyzing data from the Current Population Survey, Western and Rosenfeld find that declining union membership accounts for a fifth of the 40 percent increase in men’s wage inequality if only individual union membership is taken into account.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 1 Sep. 2025
Their leadership in the public sector and labor unions is second to none, if only officials would listen to them.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 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 14 Sep. 2025.
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