I. (|)hav, (|)hev; as an auxiliary “ or _(h)əv or after a vowel v; before “to” usually |haf or |hef verb
( past had (|)had, (|)hed; as an auxiliary “ or _(h)əd or after a vowel d ; also archaic second singular hadst (|)ha]dzt, (|)he], _(h)ə], ]dst, ]tst ; or (with “thou”) had·dest |hadə̇st, |hed- ; past part had also chiefly Scottish haen (|)hān ; present part hav·ing |haviŋ, |hev- ; present first singular have also dialect British ha (|)ha, _(h)ə ; or chiefly Scottish hae (|)hā ; second singular have also archaic (with “thou”) hast (|)hast, (|)hest, _(h)əst ; or dialect British ha third singular has (|)haz, (|)hez; as an auxiliary “ or _(h)əz or after a vowel z; before “to” usually |has or |hes ; also archaic hath (|)hath, (|)heth, _(h)əth ; or dialect British have plural have also dialect British ha or han (|)han, _(h)ən ; or chiefly Scottish hae (|)hā)
Etymology: Middle English haven, habben, from Old English habban; akin to Old High German habēn to have, Old Norse hafa, Gothic haban, Old English hebban to lift, raise — more at heave
transitive verb
1.
a. : to hold in possession as property : own
have a cow
have a car
have a lot of money
b. : to hold, keep, or retain especially in one's use, service, regard, or affection or at one's disposal
can't have your cake and eat it too
the chairman has all the tickets needed
has some rare coins saved up
have him in fond remembrance
have no time to lose
c. : to consist of (as all one's elements or constituent parts) : contain , include
have a subordinate part
the car has a self-starter
the lake has some large pickerel
April has 30 days
d. : carry , bear , support
have an essential part
have an attachment
the house has a roof
the dress has a label
wear
has a blue suit
has a tweed coat
e. : to be possessed by
declaring she had a devil — Max Peacock
2. : to feel compulsion, obligation, or necessity in regard to — used with a noun object followed by to and the infinitive
have a letter to write
have a task to perform
have nothing to do
have a deadline to meet
3.
a. : to stand in any of several personal relationships to (as father to son, host to guest, friend to friend)
the man had four daughters
it is unpleasant to have enemies
b. : to be attended by or associated with often as an essential concomitant
the king has many courtiers
certain foods present special difficulties and so have rules of their own to make eating them easier — Agnes M. Miall
the wine had no effect on me
his proposal had many objections
c. : to stand or remain in any of several implicit physical, logical, or emotional relationships to
as we sailed north we had Africa on our right
had only six feet of water under the keel
the word has no exact equivalent
have the voters on the right side
4.
a.
(1) : to acquire or get possession of : obtain
nothing to be had from the empty larder
good meat could not be had at all during the food shortage
(2) : gain
had a lot from the trip
had nothing from the experience
(3) : to be able to avail oneself of or utilize (something already done or completed)
in this field a student has many helpful monographs and handbooks
(4) : win
had the hole by two strokes
ought to have the fight by the third round
b. : receive
had news of the lost ship
asked if the police had any infomation that might lead to an arrest
had a letter from him
c. : accept
so burnt no one would have a piece
specifically : to accept in marriage
wished to marry but could find no one who would have him
d. : achieve
believes a satisfactory peace can be had between the belligerent powers
e. : to copulate with
rumor claimed he had never had a woman in his life — Norman Mailer
5.
a. : to be marked, distinguished, or characterized by (as an attribute, quality, position, or a distinctive biographical fact)
the cloth has a silky texture
had a taste for exotic foods
has a habit of nail biting
the threat had the desired effect
had a height of four feet
the goods had a value of $1000
the common law had its origin in a group of writs drawn from various uses — Curtis Bok
b. : exhibit , show , manifest
had the goodness to get a chair
had the gall to refuse
c. : use , exercise
have a care what you say to him
have mercy on us
6.
a. : to experience especially by submitting to, undergoing, being affected by, enjoying, or suffering
have a rest
have a medical examination
have a cold
the worst government they ever had
have an operation
a book that will have a wide circulation
: pass
have a life full of suffering
b. : to carry on or engage in : perform
have a standing feud with a political opponent
have a fight
have a talk with a friend
have a part in a play
also : execute , take
had a punch at the assailant before he escaped
had a look at the body
c. : to entertain in the mind or feelings : cherish
had a great deal of affection for the children
have no doubt of success
have an opinion
7.
a. : to cause to go : lead , convey
did not have the child anywhere where he could be exposed to measles
the aunt had the child to live with her
b. : to cause to by persuasive or forceful means (as by inviting, ordering, compelling) — used with the infinitive without to
had the chauffeur drive to town
had the children go to bed early
the court had him pay the man what he owed him
you are going to pay for the damage and I'll have you know it
c. : to cause to be
has people around at all times
likes to have people in the office who are efficient
had him sick with the details of the accident
anxious to have you a satisfied customer — Richard Joseph
nearly had the table over with her pushing and shoving
had the tent poles down in a minute
d. : to cause to become
I'll have him a good soldier before long
e.
(1) : to cause to come by inviting
have friends over for an evening of bridge
(2) : to receive as a guest
I'll be over whenever you can have me
f. : to represent to be
the author always has his characters doing foolish things
8.
a. : to allow to or suffer to — used with the infinitive without to
would not have him treat the dog so
b. : to allow to be or suffer to be
will not have him chosen president
have women in the men's part of the building only once a month on visitors' day
a strange man to have around
9.
a.
(1) : to be marked by an intellectual grasp of : know , understand
a student who has only a little French and no mathematics
having no foreign language he was handicapped and ineffectual — Carl Van Doren
(2) : to understand the character of
you do not need to associate with him long before you have him
(3) : to be able to handle adequately
the job is so easy that in only a few days you have it
b. : to place in a scale of distinctions : categorize
sees with so many sense and other organs that you never know where to have him artistically — Times Literary Supplement
10.
a. : to maneuver into a position of disadvantage or cause to be at a disadvantage
had his opponent at the point of defeat
the criminal had the police nonplussed
the team had their opponents beaten before the half
b. : to place or maneuver into a vulnerable or defenseless position or a position bringing certain defeat
when he brought the charge before the court he had me since the evidence against me was in my own handwriting
c. : outwit , outplay , outmaneuver
had his opponent in only three more moves of the chessmen
: defeat
would like to play on but you have me steadily
: to get the better of or triumph over by finding, achieving, getting
had the laugh on me
had the goods on me
had the jump on me
d. : trick , cheat , fool , bamboozle
in this enterprise the partners had him and left him without a penny
the size of this bill convinces me I've been had
11.
a. : to be in a position to exercise (as a right or privilege)
as a friend he has the freedom of my house
has no right to go
b. : to be in control of : be responsible for
was put in charge and he has overall direction of the program — C.E.Black & E.C.Helmreich
has the job of directing traffic
12. : bear , beget
she is going to have a baby
the man had a son last week
13. : to partake of : eat , drink
have dinner at 7 o'clock
have coffee every morning
: smoke
have a cigarette after breakfast
14. : to give a job to : hire
no shipowner will hire him, no captain will have him — P.J.Scharper
15. : to associate oneself with : participate in
won't have any part of the dirty business
16.
a. : to cause to do one's bidding : control , dominate
the man with the money was always able to have him
b. : buy 4, bribe , suborn
as long as juries, judges and law enforcement officers can be had for a price — D.W.Maurer
17. : to engage and hold (as the attention)
the salesman had the interest of the buyer
the political candidate has the ear of the farmers
verbal auxiliary
1. : to be in a position or state marked by an action or state completed or ended or virtually completed or ended — used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
has gone home
have been here already
the army had already taken the town when we arrived
will have finished dinner by the time the guests arrive
2. : to be compelled or under obligation or necessity — used with the infinitive with to
have to see a doctor
have to pay taxes
had to be home by six
— compare get I 12b
Synonyms:
hold , own , possess , enjoy : have is a very general term indicating any condition or action of control, retaining, keeping, regarding, or experiencing as one's own. hold suggests stronger control, grasp, or retention: to hold to an opinion suggests greater tenacity and resolution than to have an opinion; to hold control implies firm retention in contrast to to have control, which may imply the accidental or temporary; to hold a job suggests continuation, to have one occupation at the moment. own may suggest holding with power to use and dispose as a legal or natural right
own one's own house
the stockholders own the corporation, and the corporation owns the assets of the incorporated business — Harold Koontz & Cyril O'Donnell
when a child is old enough, he should … be allowed to own books — Bertrand Russell
possess may be interchangeable with have; similar to own , it may apply more widely to intangibles
he possesses, through his experience, knowledge not possessed by those whose experience has been different — Bertrand Russell
it must be a delightful city, and possess all the attractions of the next world — Oscar Wilde
enjoy implies having as one's own with all benefits and advantages, usually pleasurable, or with other concomitants, perhaps unpleasant
enjoys worldwide fame
enjoy unlimited opportunities
shorn of the remarkable privileges which he formerly enjoyed — J.G.Frazer
Synonym: see in addition ought .
•
- had as good
- had as lief
- had better
- had liefer
- had liefest
- have a go
- have a hand in
- have at
- have done
- have done with
- have had it
- have it
- have it coming
- have it in for
- have it in one
- have it out
- have it over
- have kittens
- have none of
- have nothing on
- have no use for
- have oneself
- have one's eye on
- have one's hands full
- have one's head
- have one's head
- have one's own back
- have something on
- have to do with
- to have and to hold
II. ˈhav\ noun
( -s )
: one that has material wealth as distinguished from one that is poor
conceived of war as a battle between the haves and the have-nots for control of the world's wealth
rich and poor, employer and employee, haves and have-nots alike — Engineering and Mining Journal