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.
- 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,
- 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.
- to suffer defeat; fail: He was a great pitcher, but after this season he’ll have had it.
- to have missed a last opportunity: He refused to take any more excuses and told them all that they’d had it.
- 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,
- to be clothed in; be wearing: She had on a new dress.
- to have arranged or planned: What do you have on for Christmas?
- to tease (a person); make the butt of a joke.Compare put(def 35).
- have to do with,
- to be connected or associated with: Your lack of confidence probably had a lot to do with your not getting the job.
- 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.
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
- to be exhausted, defeated, or killed
- to have lost one’s last chance
- 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
- to have dealings or associate withI have nothing to do with her
- 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
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.
Be concerned or associated with; deal with. For example, This book has to do with the divisions within the church. [1100s] For the antonym, see have nothing to do with.
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