How to Use if only in a Sentence

if only

idiom

• Going with Chelsea if only to pair with the above notes about Rick.
  — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 30 Mar. 2025
• Wear it on your nails, if only for the week, for a festive reminder that love is in the air.
  — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2024
• The Astros need to act more woke if only to get Ted Cruz to boycott them.
  — Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 25 Oct. 2023
• The city of Los Angeles will have a new top cop, if only for the next six or so months.
  — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024
• Like things could change for the better if only a few teenagers with the right balance of spunk and smarts showed up.
  — Lizz Schumer, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
• In the other locker room Rapinoe smiled, if only to mask the pain.
  — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2023
• Stefanovic made all four free throws and UCLA was down 49-47, if only for the moment.
  — Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024
• But there comes a point in every day when even Musk leaves Trump’s side, if only to go play video games for a while.
  — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025
• When there’s one going on, all of our problems take a break, if only for an hour.
  — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2023
• And someone new will sit atop the leaderboard, if only for a moment.
  — Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2024
• Don't be alarmed if only a few drops of water come from the connector port.
  — Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 29 Feb. 2024
• To vary an old idiom: if only an ounce of compassion could be worth a pound of cure.
  — Longreads, 7 June 2024
• Gil put those concerns to rest, if only for two stars, before some time off.
  — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 July 2024
• They’re encouraged to see it in theaters, if only, Pugh said, for the vibrations in the seat.
  — Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
• Should the whole table divide the bill evenly if only a few ordered liquor?
  — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 25 June 2025
• Now, if only the staff remembered to throw the traps out, the inspector wouldn’t have cited the restaurant.
  — David J. Neal updated August 22, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
• The Squid Games are over — if only for now, and if only with a pretty big asterisk.
  — Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Jan. 2025
• That track went on to become a defining hit of its own era, and one that helped the group become breakout stars, if only for a time.
  — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
• There is no point in the enormous gun variety in the game if only a handful are viable.
  — Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
• The simplest path to a title game matchup would be if only two of those four teams won their season finale.
  — Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
• But the promise of fresh produce was tempting enough to lure Johnson away from their love nest, if only for a short time.
  — Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 18 Sep. 2023
• But the mini horror films inspired people to buy shakes (if only to make more videos).
  — Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 27 July 2023
• While 2024 has not shaped up to be a stellar time for the pop superstar, things may turn around—if only slightly—in a few months.
  — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
• The Treaty of Versailles put him—if only peripherally—at the center of the world.
  — Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
• Ancona wanted to crack the case, if only so the uncredited creators of the song could get their due.
  — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 7 Dec. 2023
• Providing insights into special teas, this person will shine, if only in brief snippets.
  — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
• The downside would be minimal, if only to pass along for draft capital down the road.
  — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
• What if only one person in your party drinks alcohol?
  — Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
• Styles warmed them up, if only for a few minutes.
  — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026
• Their primes briefly overlapped, if only for a couple of years while James was transitioning out of his.
  — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026