Phrase guide

ifs, ands, or buts

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Modifications, limitations, or addenda; qualifications of any kind; speculations about whether a particular idea or enterprise is good.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • 1867, The Frankfort Commonwealth, Frankfort, Kentucky. August 30, 1867, p. 3. Some of those elected on the Rebel Democratic ticket, at the opening of the war, in the interest of the traitors to the Government, professed to be "Union men, without any ifs, ands, or buts."
  • 1947, Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Dramatists Play Service, Inc. (1952), →ISBN, page 29, BLANCHE. That must’ve been what happened. ¶ STANLEY. I don’t want no ifs, ands or buts! What’s all the rest of the papers?
  • 1962, advertisement, in Popular Science, Popular Science Publishing Company, page 175, There are no gimmicks. There are No Exceptions, No Exclusions, No Limitations, waiting periods, no ifs, ands or buts.
  • 2007, Walt Love, The Gospel According to Rev. Walt "Baby" Love: Inspirations and Meditations from the Gospel Radio Legend, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 32, There are no ifs, ands, or buts if we are going to stand on the promises found in the Holy Bible.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Earlier as ifs and 'ans, plurals of if and 'an (or an, en, or and), dialectal for then, influenced by the conjunction an (meaning if) (See OED entry on and conj.2). Thus it meant ifs and thens. Brewer's analyzes it as ifs and ans, with the meaning ifs and ifs, and that the spelling ands is a mistake. In any case, it was later supplemented with buts.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: mutta — speculation, doubt
  • Finnish: jossittelu — speculation, doubt
  • German: ohne Wenn und Aber — speculation, doubt
  • Romanian: dar și poate — speculation, doubt
  • Romanian: doar și poate — speculation, doubt
  • Russian: если бы да кабы (jesli by da kaby) — speculation, doubt
  • Russian: оговорка (ogovorka) — speculation, doubt
  • Swedish: om och men — speculation, doubt