Word.ws English Dictionary

if and when

if and when conjunction: at the time of an event, contingent on that event happening at all.

Conjunction

if and when

  1. At the time of an event, contingent on that event happening at all.
    • [T]o his son Thomas Battersbee, if and when he should attain the age of 21; but if he should die under that age then to his daughter Sophia, if and when she should attain that age...1819, John Wilson, Cases in Chancery [1818-1819], page 90
    • Since, as many parents have found to their sorrow, you cannot force a child to sleep, most find it easier on everybody to accept this nightwalking if and when it occurs1980, Louise Bates Ames, Frances Lillian Ilg, Your Three-year-old: Friend Or Enemy, page 81

Questions about if and when

What does if and when mean?
If and when means at the time of an event, contingent on that event happening at all.
What part of speech is if and when?
If and when is a conjunction.

Words near if and when in the dictionary

  1. if a day
  2. if all else fails
  3. if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail
  4. if all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail
  5. if and only if
  6. if and when
  7. if anything
  8. if applicable
  9. if at all
  10. if at first you don't succeed
  11. if at first you don't succeed, try try again

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: if and when (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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