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
So which team has best chance of actually winning?
Keeler: Deion Sanders taking CU Buffs to College Football Playoff feels like when, not an if.
—
Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 10 Dec. 2024
There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it: the Rangers can’t waste this opportunity against a tanking opponent.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2023
There’s no questions or ifs or buts, that is the end of it.
—Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
But still, they should be haunted by the if-onlys.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 9 Feb. 2023
As a result, discontent with the manager is growing, and with a 7 ½-month gap between the end of qualifying and the start of this fall’s World Cup in Qatar, this would be the time to make a change - if, indeed, a change is coming.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022
On Monday, Circa Sports posted Georgia as a 3-point favorite - with the over/under at 50.5 - if, or when, the Tide clinches the SEC West.
—Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 15 Nov. 2021
OOF: If the Senate manages to pass its health-care bill -- and that's a mammoth IF -- the House seems ready to give it the nod, too, my colleague Paul Kane writes.
—Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Post, 17 July 2017
But if all goes as planned – a big IF in the restaurant business –
—Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, 12 July 2017
Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 10 Dec. 2024
There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it: the Rangers can’t waste this opportunity against a tanking opponent.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2023
There’s no questions or ifs or buts, that is the end of it.
—Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
But still, they should be haunted by the if-onlys.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 9 Feb. 2023
As a result, discontent with the manager is growing, and with a 7 ½-month gap between the end of qualifying and the start of this fall’s World Cup in Qatar, this would be the time to make a change - if, indeed, a change is coming.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022
On Monday, Circa Sports posted Georgia as a 3-point favorite - with the over/under at 50.5 - if, or when, the Tide clinches the SEC West.
—Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 15 Nov. 2021
OOF: If the Senate manages to pass its health-care bill -- and that's a mammoth IF -- the House seems ready to give it the nod, too, my colleague Paul Kane writes.
—Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Post, 17 July 2017
But if all goes as planned – a big IF in the restaurant business –
—Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, 12 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for if
Noun
-
People will chew on the Broadway first of an Othello directed and lead-produced by black men—Leon and Brian Anthony Moreland, respectively—and cut their assumptions about that to fit their pre-existing views.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The idea of receiving free money taps into our natural aversion to missing out and the default assumption that any message appearing to be from the government is legitimate.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
By contrast, as trade expert and non-partisan Growth Commission Chairman Shanker Singham explains, the EU conditions market access on accepting the EU regulatory system and EU standards.—
Alden Abbott,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
-
The news came in a Holy See press office update issued on the 88-year-old's condition Sunday morning.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Follow Di Placido for more meme explainers, television reviews, film theories and deep dives into digital culture.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
-
And one of my favorite things is looking at other people’s fan theories online.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The United States’ treaties with China and India have no arbitration provisions, so the U.S. competent authority could simply decline to agree to relieve double taxation.—
Ryan Finley,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
-
The federal bill would among other things restore a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that required states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval before making election changes.—
Deborah Barfield Berry,
USA TODAY,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There are some givens in the B’s lineup, as long as there’s good health.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2024
-
About the only givens seemingly would be Bam Adebayo making first-team All-Defense for the first time, after second-team such nods the past four seasons, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. making first-team All-Rookie.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
The Department of Homeland Security will soon announce a form to complete the registration requirement, according to the post.—
Rebecca Falconer,
Axios,
26 Feb. 2025
-
If a recruit was outside these requirements, the applicant was granted 90 days to comply with Army regulations.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The plan also included a stipulation for Ukraine to be armed after a peace deal to deter future invasions.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Their agreement, or joint stipulation of dismissal in legal terms, was filed on Monday.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
But each time the tariffs were slated to take effect, calls with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum kept the tariffs at bay — or provided exceptions for crucial cross-border industries, such as a one-month delay on tariffs for auto manufacturers.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
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The main exception in the worldwide data is Israel, which has higher-than-average birth rates and has been subsidizing IVF since the early 1980s.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to if
Cite this Entry
“If.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/if. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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