if only

phrase

—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

San Diego’s reluctance to challenge is intriguing, if only because on April 25, the club’s 50 challenges ranked middle of the pack in MLB. — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Conversely, if only the ground robots had been employed, the defenders could have remained under cover until the robots exhausted their ammunition or blocked their advance with physical obstacles. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

However, Hone argued, a museum or other public institutions could easily unearth specimens such as Gus if only the landowners where these discoveries come up so wished. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 13 July 2026

The lineup’s sudden life also took some heat off of James Rowson, if only temporarily. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026

Rhymes for if only

• lonely