Synonyms

have to

Idioms

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.

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.

They only have to not set a fastest time in the relevant section of the track.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

Luis Espinola, a 61-year-old hotel employee, put it this way: "With Paraguay you have to suffer until the last minute."

From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026

“I still have to figure that out for myself.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

But under a single yellow, a driver does not have to abandon their lap.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

“Well, you saw Dara and smiled at her . . . and I thought . . .” I take a deep breath, accepting that I’ll just have to live with my embarrassment.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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