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. informal.
   a hypothetical question; speculation

   one of the great what-ifs of modern history

Word History and Origins

Origin of what-if¹

First recorded in 1980–85

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.

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times

“This is not a pipe dream anymore or a what-if story,” Wong said.

From Los Angeles Times

Corbyn nearly won the 2017 general election against Theresa May — a massive what-if that would have sent Britain in unpredictable directions — but was sabotaged by his intra-party enemies and his own incompetence well before the crushing loss to Johnson two years later.

From Salon

A Hollywood strike actually made it possible to do both, but Selleck is at peace, writing “my only regret was that the what-if was there from time to time.”

From Seattle Times

In her new research-based what-if book “Nuclear War: A Scenario,” Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen reveals how a nuclear holocaust would play out in real time.

From Los Angeles Times