have

verb

/həv/, /əv/, strong form /hæv/

In some senses have got is also used, especially in British English.

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they have	/həv/, /əv/, strong form /hæv/ /həv/, /əv/, strong form /hæv/
have not
haven't
he / she / it has	/həz/, /əz/, strong form /hæz/ /həz/, /əz/, strong form /hæz/
past simple had	/həd/, /əd/, strong form /hæd/ /həd/, /əd/, strong form /hæd/
past participle had	/həd/, /əd/, strong form /hæd/ /həd/, /əd/, strong form /hæd/
-ing form having	/ˈhævɪŋ/ /ˈhævɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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own/hold

(also have got)

have something (not used in the progressive tenses) to own, hold or possess something

He had a new car and a boat.
Have you got a job yet?
I don't have that much money on me.
She's got a BA in English.

British/American have you got? / do you have?have you got? / do you have?

Have got is the usual verb in British English to show possession, etc. in positive statements in the present tense, in negative statements and in questions:
- They’ve got a wonderful house.
- We haven’t got a television.
- Have you got a meeting today?
Questions and negative statements formed with do are also common:
- Do you have any brothers and sisters?
- We don’t have a car
.
Have is also used but is more formal:
- I have no objection to your request.
- Have you an appointment?
Some expressions with have are common even in informal language:
- I’m sorry, I haven’t a clue.
In the past tense had is used in positive statements. In negatives and questions, forms with did have are usually used:
- They had a wonderful house.
- We didn’t have much time.
- Did she have her husband with her?
In North American English have and forms with do/does/did are the usual way to show possession, etc. in positive statements, negatives and questions:
- They have a wonderful house.
- We don’t have a television.
- Do you have a meeting today?
Have got is not used in questions, but is used in positive statements, especially to emphasize that somebody has one thing rather than another:
- ‘Does your brother have brown hair?’ ‘No, he’s got blond hair.’
In both British English and North American English have and forms with do/does and did are used when you are referring to a habit or routine:
- We don’t often have time to talk.

consist of

(also have got)

have something (not used in the progressive tenses) be made up of

In 2018 the party had 10 000 members.

quality/feature

(also have got)

(not used in the progressive tenses) to show a quality or feature

have something The ham had a smoky flavour.
The house has gas-fired central heating.
The car has four-wheel drive.
They have a lot of courage.
have something + adj. He's got a front tooth missing.

(also have got)

have something to do something (not used in the progressive tenses) to show a particular quality by your actions

Surely she didn't have the nerve to say that to him?

relationship

(also have got)

have somebody/something (not used in the progressive tenses) used to show a particular relationship

He's got three children.
Do you have a client named Peters?

something available

(also have got)

have something (not used in the progressive tenses) to be able to make use of something because it is available

Have you got time to call him?
We have no choice in the matter.

should/must

(also have got)

have something (not used in the progressive tenses) to be in a position where you ought to do something

We have a duty to care for the refugees.

(also have got)

(not used in the progressive tenses) to be in a position of needing to do something

have something I've got a lot of homework tonight.
have something to do I must go—I have a bus to catch.

feeling/thought

(also have got)

have something (not used in the progressive tenses) to let a feeling or thought come into your mind

He had the strong impression that someone was watching him.
We've got a few ideas for the title.
(informal) I've got it! We'll call it ‘Word Magic’.

illness

(also have got)

have something (not used in the progressive tenses) to suffer from an illness or a disease

I've got a headache.

Extra Examples

He found out that he had HIV just last year.
I had a cold yesterday and I couldn't come to work.

Topics Illnessa1

hold

(also have got)

have somebody/something + adv./prep. (not used in the progressive tenses) to hold somebody/something in the way mentioned

She'd got him by the collar.
He had his head in his hands.

put/keep in a position

(also have got)

have something + adv./prep. (not used in the progressive tenses) to place or keep something in a particular position

Mary had her back to me.
I soon had the fish in a net.

experience

have something to experience something

I went to a few parties and had a good time.
I was having difficulty in staying awake.
She'll have an accident one day.

event

have something to organize or hold an event

Let's have a party.

eat/drink/smoke

have something to eat, drink or smoke something

to have breakfast/lunch/dinner
I'll have the salmon (= for example, in a restaurant).
I had a cigarette while I was waiting.

Extra Examples

Have you had breakfast yet?
I just had a sandwich for lunch.

do something

have something to perform a particular action

I had a swim to cool down.
(British English) to have a wash/shower/bath
We had a very interesting discussion about climate change.

give birth

have somebody/something to give birth to somebody/something

She's going to have a baby.
Our cat has just had five kittens.

effect

have something to produce a particular effect

His paintings had a strong influence on me as a student.
The colour green has a restful effect.

receive

have something (not usually used in the progressive tenses) to receive something from somebody

I had a letter from my brother this morning.
Can I have a Coke, please?

For example, when ordering in a cafe or restaurant. In North American English you can also say: Can I get a Coke?

have something to be given something; to have something done to you

I'm having treatment for my back problem.
How many driving lessons have you had so far?

(also have got)

have something doing something (not used in the progressive tenses) to experience the effects of somebody’s actions

We have orders coming in from all over the world.

have something done

have something done (used with a past participle) to suffer the effects of what somebody else does to you

She had her bag stolen.

have something done (used with a past participle) to cause something to be done for you by somebody else

You've had your hair cut!
We're having our car repaired.

to tell or arrange for somebody to do something for you

have somebody do something He had the bouncers throw them out of the club.
(informal) I'll have you know (= I'm telling you) I'm a black belt in judo.
have somebody + adv./prep. She's always having the builders in to do something or other.

put somebody/something in a condition

to cause somebody/something to be in a particular state; to make somebody react in a particular way

have somebody/something + adj. I want to have everything ready in good time.
have somebody/something doing something He had his audience listening attentively.

be with

(also have got)

have somebody with you (not used in the progressive tenses) to be with somebody

She had some friends with her.

guests

[no passive] have somebody/something to take care of somebody/something in your home, especially for a limited period

We're having the kids for the weekend.

[no passive] have somebody + adv./prep. to entertain somebody in your home

We had some friends to dinner last night.

allow

(used in negative sentences, especially after will not, cannot, etc.) to allow something; to accept something without complaining

have something I'm sick of your rudeness—I won't have it any longer!
have somebody/something doing something We can't have people arriving late all the time.

in argument

(also have got)

have somebody (informal) (not used in the progressive tenses) to put somebody at a disadvantage in an argument

You've got me there. I hadn't thought of that.

Topics Opinion and argumentc2

sex

have somebody (slang) to have sex with somebody

He had her in his office.

trick

[usually passive] (informal) to trick or cheat somebody

be had I'm afraid you've been had.

for a job

[no passive] have somebody as something to take or accept somebody for a particular role

Who can we have as treasurer?

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

Idioms Most idioms containing have are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example have your eye on somebody is at eye n.

have (got) something against somebody

to dislike somebody because of something bad they have done to you in the past
- I don’t have anything against her, we just don’t get along.

have done with something

(especially British English) to finish something unpleasant so that it does not continue
- Let's have done with this silly argument.

have had it (informal)

to be in a very bad condition; to be unable to be repaired
- The car had had it.
to be extremely tired
- I've had it! I'm going to bed.
to have lost all chance of surviving something
- When the truck smashed into me, I thought I'd had it.
to be going to experience something unpleasant
- Dad saw you scratch the car—you've had it now!
to be unable to accept a situation any longer
- I’ve had it (up to here) with him—he’s done it once too often.

have it (that…)

to claim that it is a fact that…
- Rumour has it that we'll have a new manager soon.

have (got) it/that coming (to you)

to be likely to suffer the unpleasant effects of your actions and to deserve to do so
- It was no surprise when she left him—everyone knew he had it coming to him.

have it in for somebody

(informal) to not like somebody and be unpleasant to them

have it in you (to do something)

(informal) to be capable of doing something
- Everyone thinks he has it in him to produce a literary classic.
- You were great. I didn't know you had it in you.
- You spoke really well at that meeting, standing up for us all. I never knew you had it in you.

have it off/away (with somebody)

(British English, slang) to have sex with somebody

have (got) nothing on somebody/something

(informal) to be not nearly as good as somebody/something see also have (got) something on somebody

not having any

(informal) not willing to listen to or believe something
- I tried to persuade her to wait but she wasn't having any.

what have you

(informal) other things, people, etc. of the same kind
- There's room in the cellar to store old furniture and what have you.