Meanings
- not comparableUsed to introduce a suggestion or proposal for a future event.
What if we arrange it for 9:00 instead of 10:00?
Synonyms: what about, how about
- not comparableUsed to introduce a speculation about a future event.
What if we could learn to get along? What would happen then?
- not comparableUsed 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?
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbUsed to introduce a suggestion or proposal for a future event.
Origin
- Old Englishhwæt ġif
- Englishwhat if
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)
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Cantonese 不如, 萬一 /万一
- 不如 (bat¹ jyu⁴)used to introduce suggestion
- 萬一 /万一 (maan⁶ jat¹)used to introduce speculation about future
- 萬一 /万一 (maan⁶ jat¹)used to introduce speculation about past
Chinese Mandarin 不如, 萬一 /万一
- 不如 (bùrú)used to introduce suggestion
- 萬一 /万一 (wànyī)used to introduce speculation about future
- 萬一 /万一 (wànyī)used to introduce speculation about past
Czech co takhle, co kdyby
- co takhleused to introduce suggestion
- co kdybyused to introduce speculation about future
- co kdyžused to introduce speculation about past
- co kdybyused to introduce speculation about past
Finnish entä jos, mitä jos
- entä josused to introduce suggestion
- mitä josused to introduce suggestion
- entä josused to introduce speculation about future
- mitä josused to introduce speculation about future
- entä josused to introduce speculation about past
- mitä josused to introduce speculation about past
French et si, et si
- et siused to introduce suggestion
- et siused to introduce speculation about future
- et siused to introduce speculation about past
German was wenn
- was wennused to introduce suggestion
Greek και αν, και αν
- και αν (kai an)used to introduce suggestion
- και αν (kai an)used to introduce speculation about future
- και αν (kai an)used to introduce speculation about past
Hungarian mi lenne, ha
- mi lenne, haused to introduce speculation about future
Indonesian bagaimana jika, bagaimana kalau
- bagaimana jikaused to introduce suggestion
- bagaimana kalauused to introduce suggestion
- bagaimana jikaused to introduce speculation about future
- bagaimana kalauused to introduce speculation about future
- bagaimana jikaused to introduce speculation about past
- bagaimana kalauused to introduce speculation about past
Norwegian hva om, hva om
- hva omused to introduce suggestion
- hva omused to introduce speculation about future
Polish a jeśli
- a jeśliused to introduce suggestion
Portuguese que tal, e se
- que talused to introduce suggestion
- e seused to introduce speculation about future
Spanish y si, qué tal si
- y siused to introduce suggestion
- qué tal siused to introduce suggestion
- y siused to introduce speculation about future
- qué pasaría siused to introduce speculation about future
Swedish tänk om, tänk om
- tänk omused to introduce suggestion
- tänk omused to introduce speculation about future
- tänk omused to introduce speculation about past
Tagalog paano kung, paano kung
- paano kungused to introduce suggestion
- paano kungused to introduce speculation about future
- paano kungused to introduce speculation about past
Turkish peki ya
- peki yaused to introduce suggestion
Cite this entry
what if. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20if
“what if.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20if. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what if,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20if.
Source: what if on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.