How to Use what-if in a Sentence

what-if

noun
Definition of what-ifnext
  • The Lakers are the ultimate what-if team in a conference full of what-ifs.
    — Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2023
  • The Giants have made countless trades that were dandies, but the bad ones present what-if scenarios that can be tough for fans to stomach.
    — John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2023
  • No need to for either side to expend enormous energy wading through the what-if? free agent market.
    — Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2023
  • For the Red Sox, the opportunity to see Eflin at Fenway carries an offseason what-if.
    — Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2023
  • On Sunday, new Denver coach Sean Payton responded on the record – not rumor, not speculation, not a what-if story.
    — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 26 Mar. 2023
  • Based on the infamous, 1980s true story of a Georgia bear that died after consuming cocaine thrown out of a plane, the film is basically a feature-length what-if scenario.
    — Craig D. Lindsey, Chron, 23 Feb. 2023
  • Filled with bullets, consuming fires and terrific actors like Kirsten Dunst running for cover, the movie is a what-if nightmare stoked by memories of Jan. 6.
    — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
  • The software is designed to run what-if scenarios, aiding in optimizing task assignments.
    — Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 4 Jan. 2024
  • Klein has authored articles on Moreno for the online publication Cartoon Research and stresses his career isn’t really a what-if, since Moreno found success.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2023
  • Beyond that, Ackerman delivers a potent critique of the what-if nature of talking about history in general.
    — Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
  • The technology also lags the market on scenario analysis and what-if optimization.
    — Lora Cecere, Forbes, 4 May 2023
  • Other key elements of smart manufacturing include predictive maintenance, robotic process automation, edge computing and the digital twin—a simulation allowing engineers to work through crucial what-if situations.
    — Adrian Carr, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'what-if.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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