what if
English · Thesaurus
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what if
Where it comes from
Dates back at least to Old English hwæt ġif, of the same meaning. A similar expression occurs in Latin in the Vulgate, Acts 23:9, "Factus est autem clamor magnus. Et surgentes quidam pharisaeorum, pugnabant, decentes: Nihil mali inveniumus in homine isto: quid si Spiritus locutus est ei, aut angelus?" ("And there arose a great cry. And some of the Pharisees rising up, strove, saying: We find no evil in this man. What if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel?" Douay-Rheims translation)
adverb
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Used to introduce a suggestion or proposal for a future event.
What if we arrange it for 9:00 instead of 10:00?
Similar: what about, how about
- Used to introduce a speculation about a future event. What if we could learn to get along? What would happen then?
- Used to introduce a speculation about a past event. Often the basis for counterfactual historical interpretations. What if Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated? How might the Reconstruction of the Southern States have been handled?
Translations
Talk about this word "what if." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/what%20if. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. what if. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/what%20if "what if." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/what%20if.Cite this
@misc{what_if_2026,
title = {what if},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/what%20if},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
