if it wasn't/weren't for...

if it weren't for (someone or something)

If someone or something hadn't helped, intervened, or affected the situation in some way. The phrase is always followed by an explanation of how things would have turned out different without someone or something. If it weren't for those quick-thinking bystanders, I wouldn't be alive today. If it weren't for my student loans, I would be a millionaire by now.See also: if

if it wasn’t/weren’t for...

used to say that somebody/something stopped somebody/something from happening: If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here today.See also: if