have

[hav; unstressed huh v, uh v; for 26 usually haf]

See more synonyms for have on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), present singular 1st person have, 2nd have or (Archaic) hast, 3rd has or (Archaic) hath, present plural have; past singular 1st person had, 2nd had or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest, 3rd had, past plural had; past participle had; present participle hav·ing.

to possess; own; hold for use; contain: He has property. The work has an index.
to hold, possess, or accept in some relation, as of kindred or relative position: He wanted to marry her, but she wouldn't have him.
to get, receive, or take: to have a part in a play; to have news.

to experience, undergo, or endure, as joy or pain: Have a good time. He had a heart attack last year.
to hold in mind, sight, etc.: to have doubts.
to cause to, as by command or invitation: Have him come here at five.
to be related to or be in a certain relation to: She has three cousins. He has a kind boss.
to show or exhibit in action or words: She had the crust to refuse my invitation.
to be identified or distinguished by; possess the characteristic of: He has a mole on his left cheek. This wood has a silky texture.
to engage in or carry on: to have a talk; to have a fight.
to partake of; eat or drink: He had cake and coffee for dessert.
to permit or allow: I will not have any talking during the concert.
to assert, maintain, or represent as being: Rumor has it that she's going to be married.
to know, understand, or be skilled in: to have neither Latin nor Greek.
to beget or give birth to: to have a baby.
to hold an advantage over: He has you there.
to outwit, deceive, or cheat: We realized we'd been had by an expert con artist.
to control or possess through bribery; bribe.
to gain possession of: There is none to be had at that price.
to hold or put in a certain position or situation: The problem had me stumped. They had him where they wanted him.
to exercise, display, or make use of: Have pity on him.
to invite or cause to be present as a companion or guest: We had Evelyn and Everett over for dinner. He has his bodyguard with him at all times.
to engage in sexual intercourse with.

verb (used without object), present singular 1st person have, 2nd have or (Archaic) hast, 3rd has or (Archaic) hath, present plural have; past singular 1st person had, 2nd had or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest, 3rd had, past plural had; past participle had; present participle hav·ing.

to be in possession of money or wealth: There are some who have and some who have not.

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person have, 2nd have or (Archaic) hast, 3rd has or (Archaic) hath, present plural have; past singular 1st person had, 2nd had or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest, 3rd had, past plural had; past participle had; present participle hav·ing.

(used with a past participle to form perfect tenses): She has gone. It would have been an enjoyable party if he hadn't felt downcast.
to be required, compelled, or under obligation (followed by infinitival to, with or without a main verb): I have to leave now. I didn't want to study, but I had to.

noun

Usually haves. an individual or group that has wealth, social position, or other material benefits (contrasted with have-not).

Verb Phrases

have at, to go at vigorously; attack: First he decided to have at his correspondence.

Idioms

had better/best, ought to: You'd better go now, it's late.
had rather. rather(def 9).
have done, to cease; finish: It seemed that they would never have done with their struggle.
have had it,
1. to become weary of or disgusted with whatever one has been doing: I've been working like a fool, but now I've had it.
2. to suffer defeat; fail: He was a great pitcher, but after this season he'll have had it.
3. to have missed a last opportunity: He refused to take any more excuses and told them all that they'd had it.
4. to become unpopular or passé: Quiz shows have had it.
have it coming, to merit or deserve: When they lost their fortune, everyone said that they had it coming.
have it in/out for, to plan or wish to do something unpleasant to; hold a grudge against: She has it in for intelligent students who fail to use their abilities.
have it out, to come to an understanding or decision through discussion or combat: We've been in disagreement about this for a long time, and I think we should have it out, once and for all.
have on,
1. to be clothed in; be wearing: She had on a new dress.
2. to have arranged or planned: What do you have on for Christmas?
3. to tease (a person); make the butt of a joke.Compare put(def 35).
have to do with,
1. to be connected or associated with: Your lack of confidence probably had a lot to do with your not getting the job.
2. to deal with; be concerned with: I will have nothing to do with their personal squabbles.
to have and to hold, to possess legally; have permanent possession of: The house, with the mortgage finally paid, was at last their own to have and to hold.

Origin of have

before 900; Middle English haven, habben, Old English habban; cognate with German haben, Old Norse hafa, Gothic haban to have; perhaps akin to heave

Can be confusedhalve have

Synonyms

See more synonyms for have on Thesaurus.com

3. obtain, gain, secure, procure.

Synonym study

1. Have, hold, occupy, own, possess mean to be, in varying degrees, in possession of something. Have, being the most general word, admits of the widest range of application: to have money, rights, discretion, a disease, a glimpse, an idea; to have a friend's umbrella. To hold is to have in one's grasp or one's control, but not necessarily as one's own: to hold stakes. To occupy is to hold and use, but not necessarily by any right of ownership: to occupy a chair, a house, a position. To own is to have the full rights of property in a thing, which, however, another may be holding or enjoying: to own a house that is rented to tenants. Possess is a more formal equivalent for own and suggests control, and often occupation, of large holdings: to possess vast territories.

Antonyms

1. lack.

Usage note

See of².

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for having

Contemporary Examples

“Having been a legislator and a mayor, I particularly enjoy being a chief executive,” he said.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races
David Freedlander
January 9, 2015
At first—it was the early stages of reporting—I was amused at having been so crassly underestimated.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003
Vicky Ward
January 7, 2015
Nothing made Groucho funnier than having this Margaret Dumont around not understanding the jokes.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire
William O’Connor
January 6, 2015
Similarly, a recent NPR report covered the challenges many police departments are having recruiting officers of color.
How to Solve the Policing Crisis
Keli Goff
January 5, 2015
Having regional appeal is one thing; simply being a regional candidate is another.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?
Lloyd Green
January 4, 2015

Historical Examples

So while you were having your fun there I was having mine here, and I had it good and plenty.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
I know all about that, and who was the means of having him sent away.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
There sat his nephew in the old place, apparently not having stirred.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
It is very honorable in you to make the offer, and I like you the better for having made it.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Come, before he comes to gibe us for having heeded a moment.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for having

have

verb has, having or had (mainly tr)

to be in material possession of; ownhe has two cars
to possess as a characteristic quality or attributehe has dark hair
to receive, take, or obtainshe had a present from him; have a look
to hold or entertain in the mindto have an idea
to possess a knowledge or understanding ofI have no German
to experience or undergoto have a shock
to be infected with or suffer fromto have a cold
to gain control of or advantage overyou have me on that point
(usually passive) slang to cheat or outwithe was had by that dishonest salesman
(foll by on) to exhibit (mercy, compassion, etc, towards)have mercy on us, Lord
to engage or take part into have a conversation
to arrange, carry out, or holdto have a party
to cause, compel, or require to (be, do, or be done)have my shoes mended
(takes an infinitive with to) used as an auxiliary to express compulsion or necessityI had to run quickly to escape him
to eat, drink, or partake ofto have a good meal
slang to have sexual intercourse withhe had her on the sofa
(used with a negative) to tolerate or allowI won't have all this noise
to declare, state, or assertrumour has it that they will marry
to put or placeI'll have the sofa in this room
to receive as a guestto have three people to stay
to beget or bear (offspring)she had three children
(takes a past participle) used as an auxiliary to form compound tenses expressing completed actionI have gone; I shall have gone; I would have gone; I had gone
had better or had best ought to: used to express compulsion, obligation, etcyou had better go
had rather or had sooner to consider or find preferable thatI had rather you left at once
have done See done (def. 3)
have had it informal
1. to be exhausted, defeated, or killed
2. to have lost one's last chance
3. to become unfashionable
have it to win a victory
have it away or have it off British slang to have sexual intercourse
have it coming informal to be about to receive or to merit punishment or retribution
have it in for informal to wish or intend harm towards
have it so good to have so many benefits, esp material benefits
have to do with
1. to have dealings or associate withI have nothing to do with her
2. to be of relevance tothis has nothing to do with you
I have it informal I know the answer
let someone have it slang to launch or deliver an attack on, esp to discharge a firearm at someone
not having any (foll by of) informal refusing to take part or be involved (in)

noun

(usually plural) a person or group of people in possession of wealth, security, etcthe haves and the have-nots

See also have at, have in, have on, have out, have up

Word Origin

Old English habban; related to Old Norse hafa, Old Saxon hebbian, Old High German habēn, Latin habēre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for having

have

v.

Old English habban "to own, possess; be subject to, experience," from Proto-Germanic *haben- (cf. Old Norse hafa, Old Saxon hebbjan, Old Frisian habba, German haben, Gothic haban "to have"), from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (see capable). Not related to Latin habere, despite similarity in form and sense; the Latin cognate is capere "seize." Old English second person singular present hæfst, third person singular present hæfð became Middle English hast, hath, while Old English -bb- became -v- in have. The past participle had developed from Old English gehæfd.

Sense of "possess, have at one's disposal" (I have a book) is a shift from older languages, where the thing possessed was made the subject and the possessor took the dative case (e.g. Latin est mihi liber "I have a book," literally "there is to me a book"). Used as an auxiliary in Old English, too (especially to form present perfect tense); the word has taken on more functions over time; Modern English he had better would have been Old English him (dative) wære betere. To have to for "must" (1570s) is from sense of "possess as a duty or thing to be done" (Old English). Phrase have a nice day as a salutation after a commercial transaction attested by 1970, American English. Phrase have (noun), will (verb) is from 1954, originally from comedian Bob Hope, in the form Have tux, will travel; Hope described this as typical of vaudevillians' ads in "Variety," indicating a willingness to perform anywhere, any time.

Idioms and Phrases with having

have

In addition to the idioms beginning with have, also see entries beginning with get had, and keep

have a ball
have a big mouth
have a bone to pick
have a brush with
have a case on
have a clear conscience
have a clue
have a crack at
have a crush on
have a familiar ring
have a fit
have against
have a go at
have a good command of
have a good day
have a good head on one's shoulders
have a good mind to
have a good thing going
have a good time
have a grasp of
have a hand in
have a hard time
have a head for
have a heart
have a hold over
have all one's buttons
have a lot going for
have a lot on one's plate
have a mind to
have an edge on
have a nerve
have an eye for
have a nice day
have another guess coming
have an out
have a penchant for
have a right to
have a say in
have a screw loose
have a shot at
have a stake in
have at
have a thing about
have a thing going
have a time of it
have a way with
have a weakness for
have a whack at
have a word with
have a yen for
have designs on
have dibs on
have done
have eyes only for
have fits
have going for one
have got to
have had enough
have had it
have in common
have in one's hands
have it
have it both ways
have it coming
have it in for
have it in one
have it made
have it out
have kittens
have no business
have no heart for
have none of
have no stomach for
have nothing on
have nothing to do with
have no time for
have no truck with
have no use for
have on
have one's ass in a sling
have one's cake and eat it, too
have one's day
have one's druthers
have oneself
have one's eye on
have one's hands full
have one's head in the sand
have one's head screwed on right
have one's heart in it
have one's moments
have one's own way
have one's say
have one's way with
have one's wits about one
have one's work cut out for one
have on the ball
have out
have pity on
have pull with
have rocks in one's head
have someone's ear
have someone's hide
have someone's number
have someone by the balls
have something against
have something coming
have something going
have something on
have something to show for
have the better of
have the blues
have the courage of one's convictions
have the edge on
have the feel of
have the goods on
have the guts
have the heart to
have the last laugh
have the makings of
have the say
have to
have to do with
have to show for
have two left feet
have words with

have

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Synonyms

Synonym study

Antonyms

Usage note

Examples from the Web for having

Contemporary Examples

“Having been a legislator and a mayor, I particularly enjoy being a chief executive,” he said.

At first—it was the early stages of reporting—I was amused at having been so crassly underestimated.

Nothing made Groucho funnier than having this Margaret Dumont around not understanding the jokes.

Similarly, a recent NPR report covered the challenges many police departments are having recruiting officers of color.

Having regional appeal is one thing; simply being a regional candidate is another.

Historical Examples

So while you were having your fun there I was having mine here, and I had it good and plenty.

I know all about that, and who was the means of having him sent away.

There sat his nephew in the old place, apparently not having stirred.

It is very honorable in you to make the offer, and I like you the better for having made it.

Come, before he comes to gibe us for having heeded a moment.

have

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for having

have

v.

Idioms and Phrases with having

have

Origin of have