What does if mean?

Definitions for if
ɪfif

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word if.


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Wiktionary

  1. ifnoun

    #

  2. ifnoun

    An uncertainty, possibility, condition, doubt etc.

  3. ifconjunction

    Supposing that, assuming that, in the circumstances that;

    If it rains, I will get wet.

  4. ifconjunction

    Supposing that;

    I'd prefer it if you took your shoes off.

  5. ifconjunction

    Although;

    He was a great friend, if a little stingy at the bar.

  6. ifconjunction

    In the event that a statement is true (a programming statement that acts in a similar manner).

    If A, then B, else C.

  7. ifconjunction

    Whether;

    I don't know if I want to go or not.

  8. ifconjunction

    Even if; even in the circumstances that.

  9. Etymology: yif, yef, from gif. Cognate with ef and efte (with the variants ifte and ef).

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Ifconjunction.

    Etymology: gif, Saxon.

    Absolute approbation, without any cautions, qualifications, ifs or ands. Richard Hooker, Preface.

    If that rebellion
    Came like itself, in base and abject routs;
    I say, if damn'd commotion so appear'd,
    In his true, native, and most proper shape,
    You, reverend father, and these noble lords,
    Had not been here. William Shakespeare, Henry IV.

    If they have done this deed, my noble lord.
    —— If! talk'st thou to me of ifs? Thou art a traitor. William Shakespeare.

    This seeing of all things, because we can desire to see all things, he makes a proof that they are present to our minds; and if they be present, they can no ways be present but by the presence of God, who contains them all. John Locke.

    This is only an infallibility upon supposition, which amounts to this, that if a thing be true, it is impossible to be false. John Tillotson, Sermons, Preface.

    All of them suppose the apostle to have allowed the Epicurean maxim to be good; if so be there were no resurrection. Francis Atterbury, Sermons, Preface.

    Tisiphone, that oft hast heard my pray'r,
    Assist, if Oedipus deserve thy care. Alexander Pope, Statius.

    Uncertain if by augury, or chance;
    But by this easy rise they all advance. Dryden.

    She doubts if two and two make four:
    It can't —— it may be —— and it must;
    To which of these must Alma trust?
    Nay, further yet they make her go,
    In doubting if she doubts or no. Matthew Prior.

    Such mechanical circumstances, if I may so call them, were not necessary to the experiments. Boyle.

Wikipedia

  1. If

    If is a song written by American singer-songwriter David Gates in 1971. Originally popularized by his group Bread, the song charted at number four on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 when released as a single in 1971 and number six in Canada. The song also spent three weeks at number one on the U. S. Easy Listening chart, and one week at the top of the Canadian AC chart. In the U. S., Bread's version was the shortest song title to become a top ten hit until 1993, when Prince (musician) hit No. 7 with "7", later matched by Britney Spears' No. 1 hit "3" in 2009. "If" has been a perennial favorite at weddings (for example, as a first-dance song) ever since it was released.

ChatGPT

  1. If

    "If" is a conjunction used to introduce a conditional clause or statement that expresses a hypothetical situation or a condition that must be fulfilled in order for something else to happen. It indicates that something may or may not occur based on the fulfillment of the specified condition.

Webster Dictionary

  1. If

    in case that; granting, allowing, or supposing that; -- introducing a condition or supposition

  2. If

    whether; -- in dependent questions

  3. Etymology: [OE. if, gif, AS. gif; akin to OFries. ief, gef, ef, OS. ef, of, D. of, or, whether, if, G. ob whether, if, OHG. oba, ibu, Icel. ef, Goth. iba, ibai, an interrogative particle; properly a case form of a noun meaning, doubt (cf. OHG. iba doubt, condition, Icel. if, ef, ifi, efi), and therefore orig. meaning, on condition that.]

Wikidata

  1. If

    If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the editorial position himself. He stayed in that role until late 1958, though Larry T. Shaw took over most editorial duties for a year from mid-1953. In 1958 Damon Knight was hired as editor, but within three issues Quinn sold the magazine to Robert Guinn at Galaxy Publishing. The new editor at Galaxy Publishing was Horace L. Gold, who was also editing Galaxy Science Fiction. After two years Frederik Pohl took over as editor, and it was under Pohl that If achieved its greatest success, winning the Hugo Award for best professional magazine three years running from 1966 to 1968. In 1969 Guinn sold all his magazines to Universal Publishing and Distribution. Pohl decided not to continue as editor as he wanted to return to his writing career. Ejler Jakobsson became editor; the magazine was not successful under his management and circulation plummeted. In early 1974 Jim Baen took over from Jakobsson as editor, but increasing paper costs meant that UPD could no longer afford to publish both Galaxy and If. Galaxy was regarded as the senior of the two magazines, so If was merged into Galaxy after the December 1974 issue, its 175th issue overall. A semi-professional magazine named If appeared in 1986, intended as a revival of the original, but it folded after a single issue.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. If

    if, conj. an expression of doubt; whether: in case that: supposing that.—As if, as it would be if. [A.S. gif; Dut. of, Ice. ef, if, efa, to doubt.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. If

    an islet in the Gulf of Marseilles, with a castle built by Francis I., and afterwards used as a State prison.

The Roycroft Dictionary

  1. if

    1. A tightrope that stretches from But to But. 2. A small, magical, automatic hinge that can swing the doors of Chance in any direction. 3. A fatality endowed with free will. 4. The verbal sword of Damocles. 5. A dizzy precipice at the end of every declarative sentence. 6. A pole around which the future and the past play hide-and-seek. 7. The vorspiel to the piker's threnody. _E. g._ (Scene: a narrow bridge.): "Let me pass, fellow! my name is Must, and I desire to cross." If (standing in the middle of the bridge): "You damn fool, don't you see I am the end of the bridge? There is no Must nor Might that can go beyond me."

Editors Contribution

  1. if

    To describe a possibility.

    If we have the passion and motivation working in united teams we can achieve what is necessary, vital and just


    Submitted by MaryC on March 19, 2020  

Suggested Resources

  1. if

    Song lyrics by if -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by if on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'if' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #49

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'if' in Written Corpus Frequency: #39

How to pronounce if?

How to say if in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of if in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of if in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Popularity rank by frequency of use

if#1#37#10000

Translations for if

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"if." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/if>.

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