have on

British  

verb

1. (usually adverb) to wear

2. (usually adverb) to have (a meeting or engagement) arranged as a commitment

   what does your boss have on this afternoon?

3. informal (adverb) to trick or tease (a person)

4. (preposition) to have available (information or evidence, esp when incriminating) about (a person)

   the police had nothing on him, so they let him go

---

have on Idioms  

1. have something on . See have nothing on , def. 3.

2. have someone on ; put someone on . Deceive or fool someone, as in There was no answer when I called; someone must be having me on , or You can't mean you're taking up ballet—you're putting me on! [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]

---

Example Sentences

OpenAI is trying to change long-established habits around how people interact with technology, and fight growing anxiety about the impact that AI will have on the workforce and society writ large.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"The reverberations that this will have on the economy, on people, on inflation is very worrying," said Coralie Laurencin, an energy specialist at S&P Global, the conference's organizers.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

But Wall Street veteran Jim Paulsen says two current disinflationary forces “may be underappreciated and could surprisingly moderate the ultimate impact higher oil prices may have on overall inflation.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

Few of us knew in the early days what effect reality television would have on the culture or how it would create a new type of star.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

“Could you tell me what you have on, like, special, sir?”

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

Related Words

• bear
• carry
• cover
• display
• don
• get into
• get on
• put on
• show
• slip on
• sport
• wrap