have on
Britishverb
-
(usually adverb) to wear
-
(usually adverb) to have (a meeting or engagement) arranged as a commitment
what does your boss have on this afternoon?
-
informal (adverb) to trick or tease (a person)
-
(preposition) to have available (information or evidence, esp when incriminating) about (a person)
the police had nothing on him, so they let him go
-
have something on . See have nothing on , def. 3.
-
have someone on ; put someone on . Deceive or fool someone, as in There was no answer when I called; someone must be having me on , or You can't mean you're taking up ballet—you're putting me on! [ Colloquial ; 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.
What do voters have on their minds and what do they want from their next MP?
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
It is unclear what impact, if any, Newsom’s urging will have on the California attorney general’s suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
I went to Los Angeles International Airport on Monday morning, like I have on so many occasions, but this was an entirely different experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
In a planning context, there comes a point when conversation naturally shifts from “What do we own?” to “What impact is this wealth going to have on people who aren’t in this room right now?”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
“If you don’t, we’ll never get to that other thing that we have on our minds.”
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
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.
