had, to be
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Perhaps that was the perfect way to sign off, but the Croke Park itch had to be scratched and while those gates seemed destined to remain locked, Taylor's status made it happen.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was the result of losses on its holdings of long-dated securities that had to be liquidated when it experienced large withdrawals by depositors.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
On the train to Ukraine, Burnham met EU Council President Antonio Costa, telling him "the UK had to be bolder in terms of getting closer to the bloc", according to Downing Street.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
German government officials have said the unusually serious nature of the drone incident in Leipzig meant that the reaction had to be more than symbolic, even if it triggered a counter-reaction by Moscow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
I had to be sure they wouldn’t get themselves down to the strand before I reached them.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
