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have

[ hav; unstressed huhv, uhv; for 26 usually haf ]

/ hæv; unstressed həv, əv; for 26 usually hæf /

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See synonyms for: have / had / hast / has on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), present singular 1st person have,2nd have or (Archaic) hast,3rd has or (Archaic) hath,present plural have;past singular 1st person had,2nd had or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest,3rd had,past plural had;past participle had;present participle hav·ing.

to possess; own; hold for use; contain: He has property. The work has an index.

to hold, possess, or accept in some relation, as of kindred or relative position: He wanted to marry her, but she wouldn't have him.

to get, receive, or take:to have a part in a play; to have news.

to experience, undergo, or endure, as joy or pain: Have a good time. He had a heart attack last year.

to hold in mind, sight, etc.: to have doubts.

to cause to, as by command or invitation: Have him come here at five.

to be related to or be in a certain relation to: She has three cousins. He has a kind boss.

to show or exhibit in action or words: She had the crust to refuse my invitation.

to be identified or distinguished by; possess the characteristic of: He has a mole on his left cheek. This wood has a silky texture.

to engage in or carry on: to have a talk; to have a fight.

to partake of; eat or drink: He had cake and coffee for dessert.

to permit or allow: I will not have any talking during the concert.

to assert, maintain, or represent as being: Rumor has it that she's going to be married.

to know, understand, or be skilled in: to have neither Latin nor Greek.

to beget or give birth to: to have a baby.

to hold an advantage over: He has you there.

to outwit, deceive, or cheat: We realized we'd been had by an expert con artist.

to control or possess through bribery; bribe.

to gain possession of: There is none to be had at that price.

to hold or put in a certain position or situation: The problem had me stumped. They had him where they wanted him.

to exercise, display, or make use of: Have pity on him.

to invite or cause to be present as a companion or guest: We had Evelyn and Everett over for dinner. He has his bodyguard with him at all times.

to engage in sexual intercourse with.

verb (used without object), present singular 1st person have,2nd have or (Archaic) hast,3rd has or (Archaic) hath,present plural have;past singular 1st person had,2nd had or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest,3rd had,past plural had;past participle had;present participle hav·ing.

to be in possession of money or wealth: There are some who have and some who have not.

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person have,2nd have or (Archaic) hast,3rd has or (Archaic) hath,present plural have;past singular 1st person had,2nd had or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest,3rd had,past plural had;past participle had;present participle hav·ing.

(used with a past participle to form perfect tenses): She has gone. It would have been an enjoyable party if he hadn't felt downcast.

to be required, compelled, or under obligation (followed by infinitival to, with or without a main verb): I have to leave now. I didn't want to study, but I had to.

noun

Usually haves . an individual or group that has wealth, social position, or other material benefits (contrasted with have-not).

Verb Phrases

have at, to go at vigorously; attack: First he decided to have at his correspondence.

OTHER WORDS FOR have

3 obtain, gain, secure, procure.

See synonyms for have on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR have

1 lack.

See antonyms for have on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR HAVE

3 Tips For Using "Have" vs. "Has" Correctly

Do you know how to use "have" and "has" correctly? Check out these 3 tips from the dictionary to make sure you never mix them up again.

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QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about have

had better / best, ought to: You'd better go now, it's late.

had rather. rather (def. 9).

have done, to cease; finish: It seemed that they would never have done with their struggle.

have had it,

to become weary of or disgusted with whatever one has been doing: I've been working like a fool, but now I've had it.
to suffer defeat; fail: He was a great pitcher, but after this season he'll have had it.
to have missed a last opportunity: He refused to take any more excuses and told them all that they'd had it.
to become unpopular or passé: Quiz shows have had it.

have it coming, to merit or deserve: When they lost their fortune, everyone said that they had it coming.

have it in / out for, to plan or wish to do something unpleasant to; hold a grudge against: She has it in for intelligent students who fail to use their abilities.

have it out, to come to an understanding or decision through discussion or combat: We've been in disagreement about this for a long time, and I think we should have it out, once and for all.

have on,

to be clothed in; be wearing: She had on a new dress.
to have arranged or planned: What do you have on for Christmas?
to tease (a person); make the butt of a joke.Compare put (def. 35).

have to do with,

to be connected or associated with: Your lack of confidence probably had a lot to do with your not getting the job.
to deal with; be concerned with: I will have nothing to do with their personal squabbles.

to have and to hold, to possess legally; have permanent possession of: The house, with the mortgage finally paid, was at last their own to have and to hold.

Origin of have

First recorded before 900; Middle English haven, habben, Old English habban; cognate with German haben, Old Norse hafa, Gothic haban “to have”; perhaps akin to heave

synonym study for have

1. Have, hold, occupy, own, possess mean to be, in varying degrees, in possession of something. Have, being the most general word, admits of the widest range of application: to have money, rights, discretion, a disease, a glimpse, an idea; to have a friend's umbrella. To hold is to have in one's grasp or one's control, but not necessarily as one's own: to hold stakes. To occupy is to hold and use, but not necessarily by any right of ownership: to occupy a chair, a house, a position. To own is to have the full rights of property in a thing, which, however, another may be holding or enjoying: to own a house that is rented to tenants. Possess is a more formal equivalent for own and suggests control, and often occupation, of large holdings: to possess vast territories.

usage note for have

See of².

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH have

halve, have

Words nearby have

Havant, Havant and Waterloo, Havarti, Havasupai, Havdalah, have, have a ball, have a big mouth, have a bone to pick, have a brush with, have a case on

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use have in a sentence

Aksyonov has great fun inventing a culturally pureed lexicon for his might-have-been cosmopolitan Russians.
This 1979 Novel Predicted Putin’s Invasion Of Crimea|Michael Weiss|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The divide between the haves and the have-nots is so great that the elite never feel these things directly.
Boko Loco: A View From Nigeria|Lola Ogunnaike|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Moran's point is a good one, but the truth is that Congress is already dominated by have's and want-to-have's.
These Guys Need a Raise?|Patricia Murphy|April 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's now a must-have wardrobe staple, similar to that of the t-shirt or a pair of jeans.
Diane von Furstenberg Celebrates 40 Years of the Wrap Dress|Erin Cunningham|January 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Must-have TV channels are out, and cheap work-arounds are in.
The Opt-Out Economy|Daniel Gross|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I appeal to yourself, Madam, whether these sublime notions have-any thing consoling in them?
Letters To Eugenia|Paul Henri Thiry Holbach
Ha-ha-have my head sha-a-ved, dress myself up li-like a Turk?
Jack Harkaway's Boy Tinker Among The Turks|Bracebridge Hemyng
He did not-have to teach Mappo very much, for the monkey could already do those things.
Mappo, the Merry Monkey|Richard Barnum
No poorest man on earth would change places with this man-that-might-have-been, for his time draws nigh and his end is perdition.
Raemaekers' Cartoons|Louis Raemaekers
Has time-have my changed fortunes softened her stern determination towards me?
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II)|Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for have

have

/ (hæv) /

verb has, having or had (mainly tr)

to be in material possession of; ownhe has two cars

to possess as a characteristic quality or attributehe has dark hair

to receive, take, or obtainshe had a present from him; have a look

to hold or entertain in the mindto have an idea

to possess a knowledge or understanding ofI have no German

to experience or undergoto have a shock

to be infected with or suffer fromto have a cold

to gain control of or advantage overyou have me on that point

(usually passive) slang to cheat or outwithe was had by that dishonest salesman

(foll by on) to exhibit (mercy, compassion, etc, towards)have mercy on us, Lord

to engage or take part into have a conversation

to arrange, carry out, or holdto have a party

to cause, compel, or require to (be, do, or be done)have my shoes mended

(takes an infinitive with to) used as an auxiliary to express compulsion or necessityI had to run quickly to escape him

to eat, drink, or partake ofto have a good meal

slang to have sexual intercourse withhe had her on the sofa

(used with a negative) to tolerate or allowI won't have all this noise

to declare, state, or assertrumour has it that they will marry

to put or placeI'll have the sofa in this room

to receive as a guestto have three people to stay

to beget or bear (offspring)she had three children

(takes a past participle) used as an auxiliary to form compound tenses expressing completed actionI have gone; I shall have gone; I would have gone; I had gone

had better or had best ought to: used to express compulsion, obligation, etcyou had better go

had rather or had sooner to consider or find preferable thatI had rather you left at once

have done See done (def. 3)

have had it informal

to be exhausted, defeated, or killed
to have lost one's last chance
to become unfashionable

have it to win a victory

have it away or have it off British slang to have sexual intercourse

have it coming informal to be about to receive or to merit punishment or retribution

have it in for informal to wish or intend harm towards

have it so good to have so many benefits, esp material benefits

have to do with

to have dealings or associate withI have nothing to do with her
to be of relevance tothis has nothing to do with you

I have it informal I know the answer

let someone have it slang to launch or deliver an attack on, esp to discharge a firearm at someone

not having any (foll by of) informal refusing to take part or be involved (in)

noun

(usually plural) a person or group of people in possession of wealth, security, etcthe haves and the have-nots

See also have at, have in, have on, have out, have up

Word Origin for have

Old English habban; related to Old Norse hafa, Old Saxon hebbian, Old High German habēn, Latin habēre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with have

have

In addition to the idioms beginning with have, also see entries beginning with get had, and keep

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.