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.
Kirchner, an electrical engineering technician by training, was angry, insistent that more had to be done.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
During its fourth integrated flight test, damage to its thermal protection system was severe enough that the design had to be substantially revised.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
I knew how to get up in the morning, although it was hard, and I knew I had to be present.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The force said formal identification had to be completed before the identities of the deceased or the suspect could be publicly released.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
You just had to be sure they found water.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
