51Թ

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View synonyms for

what-if

[hwuht-if, hwot, wuht, wot]

adjective

  1. hypothetical.

    a what-if scenario.



noun

  1. a hypothetical case or situation; conjecture.

    a series of what-ifs.

what-if

noun

  1. informala hypothetical question; speculation

    one of the great what-ifs of modern history

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of what-if1

First recorded in 1980–85
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Idioms and Phrases

Suppose that, as in What if the speaker doesn't get here in time? This expression is in effect a shortening of “what would happen if.” It was first recorded about 1420.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He takes a wisp of an idea, a what-if, and turns it into a viable aesthetic.

From

That isn’t to say Burns’ safely declarative dialogue and what-if storytelling won’t spur you to think of your own relationship and matters of fulfillment.

From

Original screenwriter Alex Garland, meanwhile, has become a signature filmmaker of his own, recently releasing the disturbing what-if action movie “Civil War.”

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Rangers folk may feel tortured by those what-if moments as much as the missed penalty much later on.

From

Detention camps, punishing tariffs, discredited “America first” slogans, appeasing dictators and, in a bizarre what-if, even suggesting compromising on slavery.

From

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what have youwhat in the world