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.
One limitation in the current program, they argue, is that EPSCoR grants are rarely large enough to enable have-not institutions to effectively compete against those boasting billion-dollar research programs.
From Science Magazine • Jul. 12, 2021
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
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
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
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
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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.