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.
“It had to be 3 in the morning, those were the days of those crazy hours,” Witkoff testified at Trump’s 2023 New York civil trial for a decadeslong scheme of lying about his property values.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
According to Lighting Designer Andrew Bridge, for the 2000s-era Las Vegas iteration of the show, “everything had to be bigger and more spectacular.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
As soon as something happens, we tell ourselves that it had to be that way — and that it was obvious to anyone paying attention.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Strug had to be carried to the podium for the medal ceremony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Every toy had to be shared; every outfit was given to me and then taken back once I’d outgrown it.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
