what-if

noun

ˌ(h)wät-ˈif,
ˌ(h)wət- How to pronounce what-if (audio)
: a suppositional question
what-if adjective

Examples of what-if in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Bigelow’s work is procedural to its core, and that this film is a speculative what-if is made all the more horrifying because of its banality. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025 This means strategic planning can shift from producing static roadmaps to generating simulations and what-if models. Catherine Iger, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Acuña to the Royals is the type of what-if move that would've had quite the snowball effect on MLB. Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025 Cook’s all-too-brief career is perhaps the most frustrating what-if in Cincinnati sports history. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for what-if

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of what-if was in 1970

Cite this Entry

“What-if.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/what-if. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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