have to

Idioms  

1. Also, have got to. Be obliged to, must. For example, We have to go now, or He has got to finish the paper today. The use of have as an auxiliary verb to indicate obligation goes back to the 16th century; the variant using got dates from the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

have to

Most people who qualify for legal residency, or a green card, have to serve that 10-year ban before they can apply for a green card, which can lead to citizenship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

But those planes have to take off and land somewhere, and that somewhere has often been American aircraft carriers stationed off the coast.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

New technologies bring dislocation, as changes in farming have to small towns where I live.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

If you are convinced that mortgage rates, currently around 6.7%, are going to collapse again, you don’t have to buy a home to benefit.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

“It might be too loud to—” I don’t have to finish my sentence, because as soon as Alex closes the door, the noise from the bowlers is cut down by more than half.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold