have-not
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of have-not
First recorded in 1830–40
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.
To boost access to existing high-end cryo-EM microscopes, NIH has created three national centers where have-not researchers can send samples for analysis.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 26, 2023
Then the money can be distributed to the have-not places that need it most, like Wahkiakum.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2023
Yet even in a 2019 season in which TV viewership is on the upswing, there is a big disparity between a handful of have and have-not teams.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 23, 2019
In the have-not camp, they warn, will be university labs, which have traditionally been a wellspring of innovations that eventually power new products and services.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2019
A knight with a silver suit of armour would immediately call himself a have-not, if he met a knight with a golden one.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.