have

verb

\ ˈhav

, (h)əv, v; in "have to" meaning "must" usually ˈhaf\

had\ ˈhad

, (h)əd , d \; having\ ˈha-viŋ

\; has\ ˈhaz

, (h)əz , z , s ; in "has to" meaning "must" usually ˈhas \

Definition of have

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement they have a new car I have my rights

b : to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal the group will have enough tickets for everyone we don't have time to stay

c : to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole the car has power brakes April has 30 days

2 : to feel obligation in regard to —usually used with an infinitive with to we have things to dohave a deadline to meet

3 : to stand in a certain relationship to has three fine children we will have the wind at our backs

4a : to acquire or get possession of : obtain these shoes are the best to be had

b : receive She asked if he had any news.

c : accept so burnt no one would have a piece specifically : to accept in marriage could find no one who would have him

d : to copulate with claims to have had many women

5a : to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty) both have red hair has a way with words

b : exhibit, show had the gall to refuse

c : use, exercise have mercy on us

6a : to experience especially by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering I have a cold

b : to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity) have a look at that cut

c : to entertain in the mind have an opinion

7a : to cause or command to do something —used with the infinitive without to have the children stay

b : to cause to be in a certain place or state has people around at all times

8 : allow we'll have no more of that

9 : to be competent in has only a little French

10a : to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat we have him now

b : to take advantage of : trick, fool been had by a partner

11 : bear sense 3a have a baby

12 : to partake of have dinner have a piece

13 : bribe, suborn can be had for a price

auxiliary verb

1 —used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect has gone homehad already eatenwill have finished dinner by then

2 : to be compelled, obliged, or required —used with an infinitive with to or to alone we had to godo what you have toit has to be said

had better or had best

: would be wise to had better go to bed

have at

: to go at or deal with : attack like two boxers having at each other

have coming

: to deserve or merit what one gets, benefits by, or suffers he had that coming

have done

: finish, stop wish you would have done before I go mad

have done with

: to bring to an end : have no further concern with let us have done with name-calling

have had it

1 : to have had or have done all one is going to be allowed to He's been cheating me for years but now he's had it.

2 : to have experienced, endured, or suffered all one can Her old beater has finally had it.

have it

: assert, claim rumor has it that he was drunk

have it in for

: to intend to do harm to

have it out

: to settle a matter of contention by discussion or a fight thinks they just need to have it out

have none of

: to refuse to have anything to do with We will have none of that.

have one's eye on

1a : to look at

b : to watch constantly and attentively

2 : to have as an objective has her eye on a little cottage in the country

have to do with

1 : to deal with the story has to do with real people— Alice M. Jordan

2 : to have a specified relationship with or effect on the size of the brain has nothing to do with intelligence— Ruth Benedict

have

noun

\ ˈhav

Definition of have (Entry 2 of 2)

: one that is well-endowed especially in material wealth the haves and have-nots

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about have

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Synonyms & Antonyms for have

Synonyms: Verb

command, enjoy, hold, own, possess, retain

Synonyms: Noun

capitalist, Croesus, deep pocket, fat cat, money, moneybags, plutocrat, silk stocking

Antonyms: Verb

lack, want

Antonyms: Noun

have-not, pauper

Examples of have in a Sentence

Verb

Do they have a new car? You can have it until I get back. She has a red bike, and I have a blue one. She got another part-time job and now she has two jobs. I'm looking for the newspaper. Do you have it? He had the newspaper right in his hand. I used to have a necklace like that, but I lost it. She used to share a room with her sister, but now she has her own room. Have they got a new car? We've got things to do.

Noun

a society that discriminates between the haves and the have-nots

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

To be fair, the movie, by its title alone, never promised a serious story of financial haves and have-nots; to bury it for that reason seems irrational. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "Crazy Rich Asians’ crazy rich success could mean more stories about less crazy rich Asian-American people.," 21 Dec. 2018 More fall beauty must-haves: Now watch Elizabeth Olsen try nine things she's never done before: Follow Allure on Instagram and Twitter, or subscribe to our newsletter for daily beauty stories delivered right to your inbox. — Tess Garcia, Allure, "How to Shop Too Faced's Limited-Edition Pumpkin Spice Makeup Collection," 1 Oct. 2018 Now there's evidence coming out that the three others of the big four have also been handling North Korea's money. — Fox News, "Rep. Lee Zeldin on release of American from Venezuela," 28 May 2018 If you’re not seeing chairs, a table or other must-haves, there might not be any. — Washington Post, "How to read between the lines of Airbnb listings," 21 Mar. 2018 Over time, a lot of the insider must-haves in case of an emergency—like the fashion tape and sweat protectors that stylists carry in their kits—have become available to the public, thanks to brands like Hollywood Fashion Secrets. — Ana Colón, Glamour, "8 Red Carpet Fashion Hacks Celebrity Stylists Swear By," 18 Jan. 2019 Ahead, 21 professional runway models share their drugstore must-haves, all for under $20. — SELF, "21 Drugstore Products Models Swear By," 18 Sep. 2018 As the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, the income gap in cancer deaths will continue to grow, too. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "We’re making real progress against cancer. But you may not know it if you’re poor.," 8 Jan. 2019 But in few places is the juxtaposition of haves and have-nots as jarring as San Francisco. — Jim Carlton, WSJ, "San Francisco Businesses Are Split on Tax Boost to Fight Homelessness," 31 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'have.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.