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

That’s because many companies leverage Google’s application programming interfaces so that they don’t have to develop their own expensive mapping software, and the Google APIs were displaying “Lake America.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

“You have to be embedded in the organization … in those lines of business in each industry, if you’re going to have any real shot of driving automation,” Levie said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Jordan may wish to exact revenge, and Eddy may want to find one of the victims who has vanished, but both have to go about their work furtively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Ministers will have to decide whether to press ahead regardless of the controversy, or scale down what they hope to achieve.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Ruby leans over and says, “Shh, don’t cry, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything until you’re ready. There’s a math assignment that I’m trying to avoid, so take your time,” she teases.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold