having 1 of 2

present participle of have
1
2
3
4
5
as in experiencing
to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it had a great time at the party had three operations on her leg

Synonyms & Similar Words

6
7
8

having

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of having
Verb
Make something soft and face-having, and the human brain will happily anthropomorphize it. Marisa McMillan, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025 Therefore, chemically, at some point in the past, whether on Earth or elsewhere, a metabolism-having, replicating organism emerged, creating an origin point for life. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
There is a specific kind of yearning involved in having a crush, one that feels intense, yet is for the most part harmless fun; still, as people grow older the frequency of such infatuations often decreases. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025 Fans will know instantly that this child grows up to be renowned composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and Linklater leans into that, having the pre-teenage Sondheim criticize Hart's writing. Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025 Over the course of several years, Berchtold set his sights on Jan, going as far as having separate affairs with her parents to keep her within reach. Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025 This hesitancy is common, Travers said, because people may be fearful of being judged or of having their trauma follow them later in life. Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025 Two weeks after an upset loss to visiting Cal Poly and a week after having a off-night bye to think about a season that could go either way, Sacramento State delivered a resounding 55-27 victory over Weber State on Saturday night in chilly Ogden, Utah. Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2025 The protests are organized by progressive organization Indivisible, with cities having their own branch. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2025 Barnes finished with 81 yards despite having just three carries in the second half. Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2025 Martin Odegaard hobbling off the Emirates pitch for the third time in as many starts would have frustrated Mikel Arteta, but having Martin Zubimendi waiting in the wings is a luxury any manager would dream of. Art De Roché, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for having
Verb
  • Team Sales The economics of owning an NBA team have evolved significantly over the past 15 years, thanks to multiple rounds of more owner-friendly collective bargaining agreements and revenue growth via media, sponsorships and ticketing.
    Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Detectives opened an investigation, identified the suspect and discovered he was barred from owning guns, Shih said.
    Jason Green, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Passengers need more control of their seat assignments Ideally, there would also be a mechanism for accepting or rejecting a new seat.
    Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Besides the power of the auto industry, Americans have become accepting of the ten of thousands of car crash fatalities every year.
    Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There are videos flying around, with or without context; the US government is producing some, promoting others from random X accounts.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The rubber band helps players perform an elastic muscle contraction while jumping at the same time, producing a plyometric contraction, which helps develop the kind of muscle power that leads to the explosiveness footballers need.
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • How to protect yourself from AI phishing scams AI phishing scams rely on tricking people into trusting what looks and sounds real.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Wire fraud in real estate involves scammers tricking buyers or sellers into sending money to fraudulent accounts.
    Collyn Wainwright, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • What To Know Lebda founded LendingTree in 1996 after experiencing his own difficulties obtaining a first mortgage.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The passenger vehicle collided with a work truck that had been pulled over onto the right shoulder after experiencing a tire blow out.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the end, Krantz added, adopting a more strategic approach ultimately benefits customers, allowing companies to use their time and money more effectively by learning from the successes of others.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In contrast, the magnesium-free glass developed a surface layer that offered little protection, allowing boron to continue diffusing out, according to a press release.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Executives and employees from a strip club operator are facing charges for allegedly bribing a New York official with free trips and private dances.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Executives at a company that owns strip clubs around the country — including five in Denver — have been charged with bribing a New York official with free trips to some of the venues and with private dances to avoid paying more than $8 million in sales taxes, authorities said Tuesday.
    Dave Collins, Denver Post, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • One of his innovations in the new space is Fresh Out of the Box, a shelf holding books that are newly unboxed without anyone knowing the contents.
    Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 20 Oct. 2025
  • In a struggle that eventually leads to Jayson holding Maeve hostage outside, Grasso musters strength and shoots Jayson in the head, in a small act of vengeance for Lizzie.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Having.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/having. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on having

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!