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have

Syllabification: (have)
Pronunciation: /hav/

Translate have | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of have

verb (has /haz, (h)əz/, having, had /had, (h)əd/)

[with object]
  • 1 (also have got) possess, own, or hold:he had a new car and a boat have you got a job yet? I don’t have that much money on me he’s got the equipment with him
  • possess or be provided with (a quality, characteristic, or feature):the ham had a sweet, smoky flavor she’s got blue eyes the house has gas heat
  • (have oneself) informal provide or indulge oneself with (something):he had himself two highballs
  • be made up of; comprise:in 1989 the party had 10,000 members
  • used to indicate a particular relationship:he’s got three children do you have a client named Pedersen?
  • be able to make use of (something available or at one’s disposal):how much time have I got for the presentation?
  • have gained (a qualification):he’s got a BA in English
  • possess as an intellectual attainment; know (a language or subject):he knew Latin and Greek; I had only a little French
  • 2experience; undergo:I went to a few parties and had a good time I was having difficulty in keeping awake
  • (also have got) suffer from (an illness, ailment, or disability):I’ve got a headache
  • (also have got) let (a feeling or thought) come into one’s mind; hold in the mind:he had the strong impression that someone was watching him we’ve got a few ideas we’re kicking around I’ve no doubt he’s as busy as I am
  • [with past participle] experience or suffer the specified action happening or being done to (something):she had her bag stolen
  • cause (someone or something) to be in a particular state or condition:I want to have everything ready in good time I had the TV on with the sound turned down
  • (also have got) informal have put (someone) at a disadvantage in an argument (said either to acknowledge that one has no answer to a point or to show that one knows one’s opponent has no answer):you’ve got me there; I’ve never given the matter much thought
  • [with past participle] cause (something) to be done for one by someone else:it is advisable to have your carpet laid by a professional
  • tell or arrange for something to be done:she had her long hair cut always having the builders in to do something
  • (usually be had) informal cheat or deceive (someone):I realized I’d been had
  • vulgar slang engage in sexual intercourse with (someone).
  • 3 (have to do something or have got to do something) be obliged or find it necessary to do the specified thing:you don’t have to accept this situation we’ve got to plan for the future
  • need or be obliged to do (something):he’s got a lot to do
  • be strongly recommended to do something:if you think that place is great, you have to try our summer house
  • be certain or inevitable to happen or be the case:there has to be a catch
  • 4perform the action indicated by the noun specified (used especially in spoken English as an alternative to a more specific verb):he had a look around the color green has a restful effect
  • organize and bring about:are you going to have a party?
  • eat or drink:I’ll have the vegetable plate
  • give birth to or be due to give birth to:she’s going to have a baby
  • 5 (also have got) show (a personal attribute or quality) by one’s actions or attitude:he had little patience with technological gadgetry if you’ve got the drive to finish your degree
  • [often in imperative] exercise or show (mercy, pity, etc.) toward another person:God have mercy on me!
  • [with negative] not accept; refuse to tolerate:I can’t have you insulting Tom like that
  • 6 (also have got) place or keep (something) in a particular position:Mary had her back to me I soon had the trout in a net
  • hold or grasp (someone or something) in a particular way:he had me by the throat
  • 7be the recipient of (something sent, given, or done):she had a letter from Mark
  • take or invite into one’s home so as to provide care or entertainment, especially for a limited period:we’re having the children for the weekend

verb

  • used with a past participle to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses, and the conditional mood:I have finished he had asked her she will have left by now I could have helped, had I known “Have you seen him?” “Yes, I have.”

noun

(the haves) informal
  • people with plenty of money and possessions:an increasing gap between the haves and have-nots

Phrases

have a care (or an eye, etc.)

see care, eye, etc.

have got it bad

informal be very powerfully affected emotionally, especially by love.
be in a situation where one is treated badly or exploited:if you think you’ve got it bad now, how would you like to be paid to collect pebbles?

have had it

informal
  • 1be in a very poor condition; be beyond repair or past its best:the car had had it
  • be extremely tired:tomorrow she would drive on through Germany, but for today, she’d had it
  • have lost all chance of survival:looks like your plant’s had it
  • 2be unable to tolerate someone or something any longer:I’ve had it with him—he’s humiliated me once too often!

have it

  • 1 [with clause] express the view that (used to indicate that the speaker is reporting something that they do not necessarily believe to be fact):rumor had it that although he lived in a derelict house, he was really very wealthy
  • 2win a decision, especially after a vote:the ayes have it
  • 3have found the answer to something:“I have it!” Rosa exclaimed

have it away (or off)

British vulgar slang have sexual intercourse.

have it both ways

see both.

have it coming

deserve punishment or downfall.

have (got) it in for

informal feel a particular dislike of (someone) and behave in a hostile manner toward them.

have (got) it in one (to do something)

informal have the capacity or potential (to do something):everyone thinks he has it in him to produce a literary classic

have it out

informal attempt to resolve a contentious matter by confronting someone and engaging in a frank discussion or argument:give her the chance of a night’s rest before you have it out with her

have a nice day

used to express good wishes when parting.

have (got) nothing on

informal
  • 1be not nearly as good as (someone or something), especially in a particular respect:bright though his three sons were, they had nothing on Sally
  • 2 (have nothing (or something) on) know nothing (or something) discreditable or incriminating about (someone):I am not worried—they’ve got nothing on me

have nothing to do with

see do1.

have one too many

see many.

have (got) something to oneself

be able to use, occupy, or enjoy something without having to share it with anyone else.

have —— to do with

see do1.

Phrasal Verbs

have at

attempt or attack forcefully or aggressively.

have someone on

British informal try to make someone believe something that is untrue, especially as a joke:that’s just too neat—you’re having me on

have (got) something on

  • 1be wearing something:she had a blue dress on
  • 2British be committed to an arrangement:I’ve got a lot on at the moment

have something out

undergo an operation to extract the part of the body specified:she had her wisdom teeth out

Origin:

Old English habban, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hebben and German haben, also probably to heave

1 Have and have got: there is a great deal of debate on the difference between these two forms. A traditional view is that have got is chiefly British, but not correct in formal writing, while have is chiefly American. Actual usage is more complicated: have got is in fact also widely used in US English. In both US and British usage, have is more formal than have got, and it is more appropriate in writing to use constructions such as don’t have (or do not have) rather than haven’t got. See also gotten (usage). 2 A common mistake is to write the word of instead of have or 've: I could of told you that instead of I could’ve told you that. The reason for the mistake is that the pronunciation of have in unstressed contexts is the same as that of of, and the two words are confused when it comes to writing them down. The error was recorded as early as 1837 and, although common, is unacceptable in standard English. 3 Another controversial issue is the insertion of have where it is superfluous, as, for example, I might have missed it if you hadn’t have pointed it out (rather than the standard ... if you hadn’t pointed it out). This construction has been around since at least the 15th century, but only where a hypothetical situation is presented (e.g., statements starting with if). More recently, there has been speculation among grammarians and linguists that this insertion of have may represent a kind of subjunctive and is actually making a useful distinction in the language. However, it is still regarded as an error in standard English.

have in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of have in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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