have-not

noun

ˈhav-ˌnät How to pronounce have-not (audio)
-ˈnät
: one that is poor especially in material wealth

Examples of have-not in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sanders has long condemned the gap between the haves and have-nots in America, and political analysts say his message resonates now because he’s tapped into mounting anger over wealth disparities. John Blake, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025 Children arrive into a trammeling grid of haves and have-nots set up long before their birth, a net that individual struggles serve only to tighten. Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025 On the investment side, strong gains for housing and stocks are widening the have/have-not divide. Russ Wiles, USA TODAY, 8 Oct. 2024 Investment gains widen the have/have-not divide This has been a year of rising personal wealth, with no signs of it abating. Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 6 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for have-not

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of have-not was in 1836

Cite this Entry

“Have-not.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have-not. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

have-not

noun
ˈhav-ˌnät,
-ˈnät
: one that is poor in material wealth

More from Merriam-Webster on have-not

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