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
On this night — if only for a night — Luka Doncic became a New Yorker.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Del Water Gap can’t get out of his own head, an existential maze where he gets lost in old memories and trips over threads of what could have been if only a few things had been different.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2025
Kinda sports-adjacent, if only because Leary really seems to enjoy the Boston Bruins.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 July 2025
To this conclusion, if only because there is no alternative to it, people will be forced to come.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for if only
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Del Water Gap can’t get out of his own head, an existential maze where he gets lost in old memories and trips over threads of what could have been if only a few things had been different.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2025
Kinda sports-adjacent, if only because Leary really seems to enjoy the Boston Bruins.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 July 2025
To this conclusion, if only because there is no alternative to it, people will be forced to come.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 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 4 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share