verb (used with object),present singular 1st personhave,2ndhave or (Archaic) hast,3rdhas or (Archaic) hath,present pluralhave;past singular 1st personhad,2ndhad or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest,3rdhad,past pluralhad;past participlehad;present participlehav·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 personhave,2ndhave or (Archaic) hast,3rdhas or (Archaic) hath,present pluralhave;past singular 1st personhad,2ndhad or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest,3rdhad,past pluralhad;past participlehad;present participlehav·ing.
to be in possession of money or wealth: There are some who have and some who have not.
auxiliary verb,present singular 1st personhave,2ndhave or (Archaic) hast,3rdhas or (Archaic) hath,present pluralhave;past singular 1st personhad,2ndhad or (Archaic) hadst or had·dest,3rdhad,past pluralhad;past participlehad;present participlehav·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.
Idioms for have
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.
Origin of have
First recorded before 900; Middle English haven, habben, Old English habban; cognate with German haben, Old Norse hafa, Gothic haban “to have”; perhaps akin to heave
SYNONYMS FOR have
3 obtain, gain, secure, procure.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR have ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR have
1 lack.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR have ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for have
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.
usage note for have
See of2.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH have
halve, have
Words nearby have
Havant, Havant and Waterloo, Havarti, Havasupai, Havdalah, have, have a ball, have a big mouth, have a bone to pick, have a brush with, have a case on
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)slangto 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
slangto 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 betterorhad bestought to: used to express compulsion, obligation, etcyou had better go
had ratherorhad soonerto consider or find preferable thatI had rather you left at once
have done See done (def. 3)
have had itinformal
to be exhausted, defeated, or killed
to have lost one's last chance
to become unfashionable
have itto win a victory
have it awayorhave it offBritishslangto have sexual intercourse
have it cominginformalto be about to receive or to merit punishment or retribution
have it in forinformalto wish or intend harm towards
have it so goodto 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 itinformalI know the answer
let someone have itslangto launch or deliver an attack on, esp to discharge a firearm at someone
not having any(foll by of)informalrefusing 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
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
“Have” vs. “Has”: When To Use Each OneEven though "have" and "has" come from the same verb "to have," there are slight differences in the way they’re used. Read about how to use them here.