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 new strategy means the doc fix happens only if Republicans can get a reconciliation package across the finish line — a big if.
—
Peter Sullivan, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
The question about Running Point getting a season 2 is not really an if, but a when.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
There is an if here, in other words.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2025
That’s a big if, needless to say.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025
If all goes well—and this is a huge if, Gialich readily acknowledges—Odin will fly by its target asteroid 301 days later.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
There was an if-not-now-then-when feeling in Buffalo this week.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
New experimental and theoretical results, new tools and private sector investment are all adding to our growing sense that developing practical fusion energy is no longer an if but a when.
—Farhat Beg, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
Yes, derivatives can pay off on all sorts of inflationary outcomes (if the counterparty is solvent enough to pay—a big if).
—James Berman, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Peter Sullivan, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
The question about Running Point getting a season 2 is not really an if, but a when.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
There is an if here, in other words.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2025
That’s a big if, needless to say.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025
If all goes well—and this is a huge if, Gialich readily acknowledges—Odin will fly by its target asteroid 301 days later.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
There was an if-not-now-then-when feeling in Buffalo this week.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
New experimental and theoretical results, new tools and private sector investment are all adding to our growing sense that developing practical fusion energy is no longer an if but a when.
—Farhat Beg, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
Yes, derivatives can pay off on all sorts of inflationary outcomes (if the counterparty is solvent enough to pay—a big if).
—James Berman, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for if
Noun
-
Those pages are a garbled mess, and Thomas spends much of them starting from the assumption that his conclusions are true.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
27 June 2025
-
However, that was based on the assumption that the district would receive $300 million in additional funding from the state or the city, which hasn’t materialized.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
The woman was listed in stable condition at an area hospital, according to police.—
Michelle Deal-Zimmerman,
Baltimore Sun,
19 June 2025
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Even under normal conditions, the country’s isolated and underfunded healthcare system struggles to meet the needs of its people.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
By cultivating a multitude of such microbial habitats, the researchers can compare them and develop theories of how ecological communities work.—
Gabriel Popkin,
Quanta Magazine,
16 June 2025
-
Lewis links our veneration of individual genius to the popularity of the Great Man theory of history.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
The provision gives the president the power to appoint a board member and have a say in company decisions that affect domestic steel production and competition with overseas producers.—
Marc Levy,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
-
The chamber's bill would give states the ability to ask for a good faith waiver that would give them an additional two years to come into compliance with the provision, or until the end of 2028, rather than the end of 2026 in the House version.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Assuming the roster gets back to full health, the givens ahead of Pelle in the rotation would be Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins and, perhaps, Davion Mitchell.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2025
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There are some givens in the B’s lineup, as long as there’s good health.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2024
Noun
-
For instance, the Nevada Department of Transportation has adopted Commvault’s PQC tools to meet government security requirements and protect sensitive information.—
Robert Kramer,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
And in a case about Texas’ requirement that websites verify users are 18 or over, one justice expressed her own parental frustration over trying to control what her children see on the internet.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Before that, a stipulation known as the Texas Proviso created a loophole that gave a pass to employers to hire noncitizens.—
Caroline Petrow-Cohen,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
-
Farmers and ranchers must be black, Native American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, an Alaskan native, or Pacific Islander in order to participate, the stipulations said.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
Aside from the pandemic anomaly, the World Bank data also showed that only three exceptions to annual passenger growth occurred post-1980.—
Dana Dunne,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
Federal contractors and in some cases subcontractors are an exception, as are a handful of states.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“If.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/if. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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