conjunction
1.
in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that: Sing if you want to. Stay indoors if it rains. I'll go if you do.
2.
even though: an enthusiastic if small audience.
3.
whether: He asked if I knew Spanish.
4.
(used to introduce an exclamatory phrase): If only Dad could see me now!
5.
when or whenever: If it was raining, we had to play inside.
noun
6.
a supposition; uncertain possibility: The future is full of ifs.
7.
a condition, requirement, or stipulation: There are too many ifs in his agreement.
00:10
If
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
8.
ifs, ands, or buts, reservations, restrictions, or excuses: I want that job finished today, and no ifs, ands, or buts.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English, variant of yif, Old English gif, gef; akin to Old Norse ef if, Gothic ibai whether, Old High German iba condition, stipulation
before 900; Middle English, variant of yif, Old English gif, gef; akin to Old Norse ef if, Gothic ibai whether, Old High German iba condition, stipulation
Synonyms
1, 2. If, provided, providing imply a condition on which something depends. If is general. It may be used to indicate suppositions or hypothetical conditions (often involving doubt or uncertainty): If you like, we can go straight home. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone. If may mean even though: If I am wrong, you are not right. It may mean whenever: If I do not understand, I ask questions. Provided always indicates some stipulation: I will subscribe ten dollars provided (on the condition ) that you do, too. Provided he goes, we can go along. Providing means the same as provided that is, just in case some certain thing should happen: We will buy the house, providing (provided ) we can get a mortgage.
1, 2. If, provided, providing imply a condition on which something depends. If is general. It may be used to indicate suppositions or hypothetical conditions (often involving doubt or uncertainty): If you like, we can go straight home. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone. If may mean even though: If I am wrong, you are not right. It may mean whenever: If I do not understand, I ask questions. Provided always indicates some stipulation: I will subscribe ten dollars provided (on the condition ) that you do, too. Provided he goes, we can go along. Providing means the same as provided that is, just in case some certain thing should happen: We will buy the house, providing (provided ) we can get a mortgage.
Usage note
If meaning “whether,” as in I haven't decided if I'll go, is sometimes criticized, but the usage has been established in standard English for a long time.
If meaning “whether,” as in I haven't decided if I'll go, is sometimes criticized, but the usage has been established in standard English for a long time.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To if
Collins
World English Dictionary
if (ɪf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —conj | |
| 1. | in case that, or on condition that: if you try hard it might work; if he were poor, would you marry him? |
| 2. | used to introduce an indirect question. In this sense, if approaches the meaning of whether |
| 3. | even though: an attractive if awkward girl |
| 4. | a. used to introduce expressions of desire, with only: if I had only known |
| b. used to introduce exclamations of surprise, dismay, etc: if this doesn't top everything! | |
| 5. | as if as it would be if; as though: he treats me as if I were junior to him |
| —n | |
| 6. | an uncertainty or doubt: the big if is whether our plan will work at all |
| 7. | a condition or stipulation: I won't have any ifs or buts |
| [Old English gif; related to Old Saxon ef if, Old High German iba whether, if] | |
| IF or electronics i.f. | |
| —abbreviation for | |
| intermediate frequency | |
| i.f. or electronics i.f. | |
| —abbreviation for | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | IF |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | See interactive fiction |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
if
O.E. gif (initial g- in O.E. pronounced with a sound close to Mod.Eng. -y-), from P.Gmc. *ja-ba (cf. O.N. ef, O.Fris. gef, O.H.G. ibu, Ger. ob, Du. of), probably originally from an oblique case of a noun meaning "doubt" (cf. O.H.G. iba, O.N. if "doubt"). Iffy is first attested 1937 in Amer.Eng.; originally
associated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
IF abbr.
initiation factor
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
IF
|
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
if
In addition to the idioms beginning with if, also see as if; damned if I do, damned if I don't; make as if to; no ifs or buts; nothing if not; (if) push comes to shove; what if.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
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