what-if

noun

A speculation as to what might have happened if something else had happened earlier.

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Meanings

nounwhat-if (plural what-ifs)

plural what-ifs

  1. informalA speculation as to what might have happened if something else had happened earlier.

    Each man was running over the what ifs in his mind.

    2005, Paul Carter, Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin, page 199
  2. informalA hypothetical case or situation, usually evoked by a sense of anxiety or uncertainty.
verbwhat-if (third-person singular simple present what-ifs, present participle what-iffing, simple past and past participle what-iffed)

present singular third person what-ifs · participle present what-iffing · participle past what-iffed · past what-iffed

  1. informalTo speculate about the consequences of something that could have happened.
Cite this entry
APA

what-if. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what-if

MLA

“what-if.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what-if. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what-if,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what-if.

Source: what-if on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.