have-not

American  

[hav-not, -not] / ˈhævˌnɒt, -ˈnɒt /

noun

1. Usually have-nots. an individual or group that is without wealth, social position, or other material benefits (contrasted with have).

---

have-not British  

noun

1. (usually plural) a person or group of people in possession of relatively little material wealth

---

Etymology

Origin of have-not

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Eventually — I’m hoping around April or May — we’ll lose interest in who’s a have-shot and who’s a have-not.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2021

That's easy: Because the have-not owners are mad, and the other possible solutions, which include stricter salary caps, would pit them against the player's union in a losing fight.

From Golf Digest • Sep. 16, 2019

“I always coached mostly the have-not schools,” Kelvin said.

From Washington Post • Mar. 14, 2019

For the next month, Mr. Moore’s disappearing inevitability, Mr. Jones’s hope-based insurgency and the strain between have and have-not Republicans will be debated every day in the state’s meat-and-three restaurants.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2017

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