if

/ɪf/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: ifs

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Supposing that, assuming that, in the circumstances that; used to introduce a condition that may be (or prove to be) either true or false.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

giả sử rằng, trong trường hợp mà

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Conjunction

Examples

If crossing the road, make sure you look both ways.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Supposing that, assuming that, in the circumstances that; used to introduce a condition that may be (or prove to be) either true or false. — A keyword that invokes conditional processing: in the event that a given condition is true, execute the given statement(s) (otherwise execute other statements).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

giả sử rằng, trong trường hợp mà; dùng để bắt đầu xử lý có điều kiện

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Conjunction

Examples

if A then B else C

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

An uncertainty, possibility, condition, doubt etc.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

sự không chắc chắn, khả năng, điều kiện, sự nghi ngờ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

NounRegister: informal

Examples

The board can't approve this project; there are too many ifs.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “if” mean?

Supposing that, assuming that, in the circumstances that; used to introduce a condition that may be (or prove to be) either true or false.

Is “if” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.