if not
idiom
1
—used to talk about the negative result or effect of something
You should study. If not, you won't pass the test.
2
—used to express surprise about meeting someone when it is not expected
So I went to the game and who should I see there if not my old friend Tom!
Examples of if not in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kingda Ka formed a formidable trio of top roller coasters — with Nitro and El Toro — that was hard to beat on the East Coast, if not the entire country.
—
Mike Davis, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
The workforce crisis would look even worse if not for the millions of refugees and other migrants Germany has taken in from countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine over the past decade.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Most, if not all of them, had already been in detention during the Biden administration.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 21 Feb. 2025
He’s been doing sutures for 30 years, if not consecutively.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2025
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Mike Davis, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
The workforce crisis would look even worse if not for the millions of refugees and other migrants Germany has taken in from countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine over the past decade.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Most, if not all of them, had already been in detention during the Biden administration.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 21 Feb. 2025
He’s been doing sutures for 30 years, if not consecutively.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for if not
Cite this Entry
“If not.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/if%20not. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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