1
as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning
your conclusion may turn out to be accurate, but you're postulating a lot of ifs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in condition
something upon which the carrying out of an agreement or offer depends
there are a number of ifs in the proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of if
The if-then paradigm needs to be simplified.
—
Michael Isaacson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
But even if the prison system reopens those beds — a big if, experts noted — Colorado will still be 230 to 440 beds short in the coming years, according to the 159-page report Brakke presented to the budget committee Friday.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 24 Dec. 2025
With that in mind, even if Cooper succeeds in winning over city leaders—a big if—the potential challenges in leveraging Champions Point’s biggest selling point may only further stymie Cooper in turning the long-unsellable property into something people will pay to visit.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025
If Florida is out of the way due to missing Aleksander Barkov (still a big if), the Atlantic really opens up.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The two eventually form an intergenerational friendship that’s genuine, even if its foundation is based on a white lie, and you brace for the inevitable moment — not an if, but a when — of Eleanor getting busted.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
If the Nefes report proves true—and again that’s a big if—and Russia seeks to buy back S-400s from Turkey to keep its traditional customers onside, that could further bode ill for a delivery of Su-35s or any other advanced weapons systems to Tehran.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
And that remains, at best, a very big if.
—Andrei Lankov, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
If rookie first-rounder Josh Simmons holds up at left tackle, this group should be solid, but that's another big if.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Michael Isaacson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
But even if the prison system reopens those beds — a big if, experts noted — Colorado will still be 230 to 440 beds short in the coming years, according to the 159-page report Brakke presented to the budget committee Friday.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 24 Dec. 2025
With that in mind, even if Cooper succeeds in winning over city leaders—a big if—the potential challenges in leveraging Champions Point’s biggest selling point may only further stymie Cooper in turning the long-unsellable property into something people will pay to visit.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025
If Florida is out of the way due to missing Aleksander Barkov (still a big if), the Atlantic really opens up.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The two eventually form an intergenerational friendship that’s genuine, even if its foundation is based on a white lie, and you brace for the inevitable moment — not an if, but a when — of Eleanor getting busted.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
If the Nefes report proves true—and again that’s a big if—and Russia seeks to buy back S-400s from Turkey to keep its traditional customers onside, that could further bode ill for a delivery of Su-35s or any other advanced weapons systems to Tehran.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
And that remains, at best, a very big if.
—Andrei Lankov, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
If rookie first-rounder Josh Simmons holds up at left tackle, this group should be solid, but that's another big if.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for if
Noun
-
That frustration led him to test his own assumptions.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The committees that challenge assumptions and lean into technology, alongside strong partnerships with internal audit, could be well-positioned to safeguard trust in an uncertain world.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Physicists call such conditions Schrödinger cat states, named after Erwin Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The condition of the unborn baby was not immediately known.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those are, indeed, pat, credible theories and predictions.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
-
But now, in the planet’s capital city of Apperax, a murder is committed with no suspects, forensics or theories.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s an uncomfortable social dynamic baked into financial provision that creates asymmetry.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
In addition to the letter grade, states were given a numerical score based on the provisions in their laws.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Where the show’s values were once givens, almost diorama labels, now they’re presented as more fugitive and unstable, what its characters would hope the world to be.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Among geologists, there are givens: Humans don’t build things that last a million years.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Indensity adapts to real-world places—rising vertically next to communities, businesses, and high-value assets—without the sprawling land requirements of traditional grid-scale storage.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Since the pandemic years, parts of Western Norway including Bergen and Stavanger have all seen local protests and political debates over cruise limits, shore power requirements and passenger caps.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
If a seller has agreed to cover or adjust for assessments in any way, the buyer must ensure that such stipulations are carefully spelled out in their purchase agreement.—
Michael L. Hyman,
Miami Herald,
29 Dec. 2025
-
That was a stipulation of his release.—
Matthew Stolle,
Twin Cities,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
That type of big-moment success was more the exception than the rule, however, in a Chiefs defensive season defined by letdowns in late, game-changing moments.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Smith maintained many of the gifts cited by Cannon fell under exceptions to the disclosure rules, including those governing charity event tickets and gifts for birthdays or holidays.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“If.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/if. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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