have a word with

1. Speak with, discuss with, as in Jerry asked to have a word with you, or I must have a word with Bill about the repairs. This expression, from the late 1400s, was at one time used interchangeably with have words with, but it no longer is.

Example Sentences

But one of Badenoch's backers suggests it's the party, not the leadership, that ought to have a word with itself.

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He said: "Can I have a word with you in the bathroom?"

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I'm like, "The seahorses would like to have a word with you about that."

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“Let us go have a word with the Headmarvellers, shall we?”

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Nicki Minaj needs to have a word with her fans who have ruthlessly defended her online for years: Chill.

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