I've
contraction of I have.
I've
1 American
[ahyv]
/ aɪv /
-ive
2
American
-ive
1
British
suffix
-
(forming adjectives) indicating a tendency, inclination, character, or quality
divisive
prohibitive
festive
massive
-
( forming nouns of adjectival origin )
detective
expletive
I've
2
British
/ aɪv /
contraction
Usage
See contraction.
Etymology
Origin of -ive
< Latin -īvus; in some words, representing French -ive, feminine of -if
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.
See Examples For:
“This book, more than any other book, is long, because my characters, especially Jordan, evolve in a way that I don’t think I’ve had characters evolve before,” says James.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
“I wish I could say I’ve always been comfortable with it, but I haven’t,” Kessler said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"I've never heard that before but that was heard again later in the wildfire season. That was startling," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
I’ve been going to concerts alone since I was 14 years old.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
I’ve been industriously ignoring her pushing fish and tossing fish guts all summer long.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
What should be done with the terminations -able, -ible, -tion, -cial, -tive, -ive, and -sion?
From Division of Words Rules for the Division of Words at the Ends of Lines, with Remarks on Spelling, Syllabication and Pronunciation by Frederick W. (Frederick William) Hamilton
In Shakespeare many adjectives, especially those ending in -ful, -less, -ble, and -ive, have both an active and a passive meaning.
From The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Cæsar by Ebenezer Charlton Black
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
