have a word with

Idioms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

have a word with

I manage to have a word with them before they enter the courtroom.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025

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

From National Geographic ● Feb. 16, 2024

“I had an experience at LAX, coming through TSA, and this guy was watching me. And as I get through, he said, ‘Can I have a word with you?’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2023

If you think chamber music only means musicians playing centuries-old polite melodies on a harpsichord, violinist Kristin Lee would like to have a word with you.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

"Could I have a word with you in private, Erish?"

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023