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have

[hav; unstressed huhv, uhv; for 26 usually haf]
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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.
  1. to possess; own; hold for use; contain: He has property. The work has an index.
  2. 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.
  3. to get, receive, or take: to have a part in a play; to have news.
  4. to experience, undergo, or endure, as joy or pain: Have a good time. He had a heart attack last year.
  5. to hold in mind, sight, etc.: to have doubts.
  6. to cause to, as by command or invitation: Have him come here at five.
  7. to be related to or be in a certain relation to: She has three cousins. He has a kind boss.
  8. to show or exhibit in action or words: She had the crust to refuse my invitation.
  9. to be identified or distinguished by; possess the characteristic of: He has a mole on his left cheek. This wood has a silky texture.
  10. to engage in or carry on: to have a talk; to have a fight.
  11. to partake of; eat or drink: He had cake and coffee for dessert.
  12. to permit or allow: I will not have any talking during the concert.
  13. to assert, maintain, or represent as being: Rumor has it that she's going to be married.
  14. to know, understand, or be skilled in: to have neither Latin nor Greek.
  15. to beget or give birth to: to have a baby.
  16. to hold an advantage over: He has you there.
  17. to outwit, deceive, or cheat: We realized we'd been had by an expert con artist.
  18. to control or possess through bribery; bribe.
  19. to gain possession of: There is none to be had at that price.
  20. to hold or put in a certain position or situation: The problem had me stumped. They had him where they wanted him.
  21. to exercise, display, or make use of: Have pity on him.
  22. 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.
  23. to engage in sexual intercourse with.
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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.
  1. to be in possession of money or wealth: There are some who have and some who have not.
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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.
  1. (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.
  2. 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.
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noun
  1. Usually haves. an individual or group that has wealth, social position, or other material benefits (contrasted with have-not).
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Verb Phrases
  1. have at, to go at vigorously; attack: First he decided to have at his correspondence.
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Idioms
  1. had better/best, ought to: You'd better go now, it's late.
  2. had rather. rather(def 9).
  3. have done, to cease; finish: It seemed that they would never have done with their struggle.
  4. 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.
  5. have it coming, to merit or deserve: When they lost their fortune, everyone said that they had it coming.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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).
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
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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 for have

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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 for have

1. lack.

Usage note

See of2.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for having

enjoy, include, get, receive, acquire, bear, accept, keep, admit, own, take, carry, retain, possess, hold, obtain, gain, undergo, consider, feel

Examples from the Web for having

Contemporary Examples of having

Historical Examples of having

  • 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)
  1. to be in material possession of; ownhe has two cars
  2. to possess as a characteristic quality or attributehe has dark hair
  3. to receive, take, or obtainshe had a present from him; have a look
  4. to hold or entertain in the mindto have an idea
  5. to possess a knowledge or understanding ofI have no German
  6. to experience or undergoto have a shock
  7. to be infected with or suffer fromto have a cold
  8. to gain control of or advantage overyou have me on that point
  9. (usually passive) slang to cheat or outwithe was had by that dishonest salesman
  10. (foll by on) to exhibit (mercy, compassion, etc, towards)have mercy on us, Lord
  11. to engage or take part into have a conversation
  12. to arrange, carry out, or holdto have a party
  13. to cause, compel, or require to (be, do, or be done)have my shoes mended
  14. (takes an infinitive with to) used as an auxiliary to express compulsion or necessityI had to run quickly to escape him
  15. to eat, drink, or partake ofto have a good meal
  16. slang to have sexual intercourse withhe had her on the sofa
  17. (used with a negative) to tolerate or allowI won't have all this noise
  18. to declare, state, or assertrumour has it that they will marry
  19. to put or placeI'll have the sofa in this room
  20. to receive as a guestto have three people to stay
  21. to beget or bear (offspring)she had three children
  22. (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
  23. had better or had best ought to: used to express compulsion, obligation, etcyou had better go
  24. had rather or had sooner to consider or find preferable thatI had rather you left at once
  25. have done See done (def. 3)
  26. have had it informal
    1. to be exhausted, defeated, or killed
    2. to have lost one's last chance
    3. to become unfashionable
  27. have it to win a victory
  28. have it away or have it off British slang to have sexual intercourse
  29. have it coming informal to be about to receive or to merit punishment or retribution
  30. have it in for informal to wish or intend harm towards
  31. have it so good to have so many benefits, esp material benefits
  32. 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
  33. I have it informal I know the answer
  34. let someone have it slang to launch or deliver an attack on, esp to discharge a firearm at someone
  35. not having any (foll by of) informal refusing to take part or be involved (in)
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noun
  1. (usually plural) a person or group of people in possession of wealth, security, etcthe haves and the have-nots
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See also have at, have in, have on, have out, have up

Word Origin for have

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

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

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    The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.