The Britannica Dictionary
mobile search
Home
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
×
Britannica Homepage
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
The Britannica Dictionary
what–if
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
what–if
(noun)
what–if
/ˌwɑːt
ˈ
ɪf/
/ˌwʌt
ˈ
ɪf/
noun
plural
what–ifs
what–if
/ˌwɑːt
ˈ
ɪf/
/ˌwʌt
ˈ
ɪf/
noun
plural
what–ifs
Britannica Dictionary definition of WHAT–IF
[
count
]
:
a question that asks someone to imagine what might happen or what might have happened
Life is full of
what-ifs
.
He started thinking about the
what-ifs
of the game: What if we had thrown more passes? What if we hadn't missed that field goal?
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
ASK THE EDITOR
What are the plural forms of
check-in
,
passerby
, and
spoonful
?
See the answer »
QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz
Test your word power
Take the Quiz »
Name That Thing
Take our visual quiz
Test Your Knowledge »
WORD OF THE DAY
emulate
:
to try to be like (someone or something you admire)
Learn More »