Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for must-have. Search instead for must+have.
Synonyms

must-have

American  
[muhst-hav] / ˈmʌstˈhæv /

noun

  1. something considered absolutely necessary or essential to own.

    This cookbook is a must-have for chocolate lovers.

adjective

  1. essential to own.

    a must-have black cocktail dress.
must-have British  

noun

  1. an essential possession

    the mobile phone is now a must-have for children
"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

adjective

  1. essential

    a must-have fashion accessory
"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

Etymology

Origin of must-have

First recorded in 1835–40; noun use of verb phrase must have

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.

The must-have item in Silicon Valley is a $178 sweater with a CEO’s face.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

Rams coach Sean McVay, West Coast area scout Vito Gonella and director of scouting strategy James Gladstone identified Nacua as a must-have addition to a team coming off a horrendous 2022 Super Bowl hangover.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

And while it didn’t exactly fly off the shelves, its concurrence with the height of the Seattle grunge music scene made the disheveled aesthetic a street-style must-have.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

Dries van Noten's Julian Klausner paid homage to the 1990s/early noughties with his maxi denim skirts with the must-have high split.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

One other discovery by a European laboratory would help to establish the cyclotron as a must-have apparatus for physics research.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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.