haveto hold for use, contain; possess, own: We have a new car.Not to be confused with:halve ? divide into two equal parts; to share equally; to reduce to half: You must halve that and share it with your sister.Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreehave (h?v)v. had (h?d), hav·ing, has (h?z) v.tr.1. a. To be in possession of: already had a car.b. To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function: has a beard; had a great deal of energy.c. To possess or contain as a constituent part: a car that has air bags.2. To occupy a particular relation to: had many disciples.3. To possess knowledge of or facility in: has very little Spanish.4. To hold in the mind; entertain: had doubts about their loyalty.5. To use or exhibit in action: have compassion.6. a. To come into possession of; acquire: Not one copy of the book was to be had in the entire town.b. To receive; get: I had a letter from my cousin.c. To accept; take: I’ll have the peas instead of the spinach.7. a. To suffer from: have defective vision.b. To be subject to the experience of: had a difficult time last winter.8. a. To cause to do something, as by persuasion or compulsion: had my assistant run the errand.b. To cause to be in a specified place or state: had the guests in the dining room; had everyone fascinated.9. To permit; allow: I won’t have that kind of behavior in my house.10. To carry on, perform, or execute: have an argument.11. a. To place at a disadvantage: Your opponent in the debate had you on every issue.b. Informal To get the better of, especially by trickery or deception: They realized too late that they’d been had by a swindler.c. Informal To influence by dishonest means; bribe: an incorruptible official who could not be had.12. a. To procreate (offspring): wanted to have a child.b. To give birth to; bear: She’s going to have a baby.13. To partake of: have lunch.14. To be obliged to; must: We simply have to get there on time.15. To engage in sexual intercourse with.v.aux. Used with a past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses indicating completed action: The troublemaker has gone for good. I regretted that I had lost my temper. They will have finished by the time we arrive.n. One enjoying especially material wealth: “The gulf widens between the feast of the haves and the famine of the have-nots” (Salman Rushdie).Phrasal Verbs: have at To attack. have on1. To wear: had on red shoes.2. To be scheduled: We have a dinner party on for Friday.Idioms: have a mind to To be inclined to (do something). had better/best Usage Problem To be wise or obliged to; should or must: He had better do what he is told. You had best bring a raincoat in this weather. have done with To stop; cease: Have done with your quibbling! have had it Informal 1. To have endured all that one can: I’ve had it with their delays.2. To be in a state beyond remedy, repair, or salvage: That coat has had it.3. To have done everything that is possible or that will be permitted. have in mind1. To remember or think of: She has your best interests in mind.2. To intend or be inclined (to do something): I have in mind to sell the house. have it1. To assert; maintain: Rumor has it that he quit.2. To think and act with respect to (something being considered): Have it your way.3. To gain a victory in a voice vote: The ayes have it. have/have got it all over To be much better than (someone) at a particular endeavor. have/have got it in for To act in a hostile manner toward or intend to harm (someone), especially because of a grudge. have/have got it in (one) To have the capacity or disposition to (to do something). have it out To settle decisively, especially by means of an argument or a discussion. have/have got nothing on (someone)1. To fail to be equal or superior to (someone) in a particular way.2. To know or be able to prove information regarding (someone). have (something) coming To deserve what one receives: You had that reprimand coming for a very long time. have/have got (someone’s) back To protect or shield someone from harm, loss, or danger. have to do with To be concerned or associated with.[Middle English haven, from Old English habban; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: The idioms had better and had best resemble an auxiliary verb in that their form never changes to show person or tense and that they cannot follow another verb in a phrase. In informal speech, people tend to omit had, especially with had better, as in You better clean up your room! In formal contexts and in writing, however, had should be kept either in full or as a contraction: We had better revise the proposal or We’d better revise the proposal. See Usage Note at rather.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.have (hæv) vb (mainly tr) , has, having or had1. to be in material possession of; own: he has two cars. 2. to possess as a characteristic quality or attribute: he has dark hair. 3. to receive, take, or obtain: she had a present from him; have a look. 4. to hold or entertain in the mind: to have an idea. 5. to possess a knowledge or understanding of: I have no German. 6. to experience or undergo: to have a shock. 7. to be infected with or suffer from: to have a cold. 8. to gain control of or advantage over: you have me on that point. 9. (usually passive) slang to cheat or outwit: he was had by that dishonest salesman. 10. (foll by on) to exhibit (mercy, compassion, etc, towards): have mercy on us, Lord. 11. to engage or take part in: to have a conversation. 12. to arrange, carry out, or hold: to have a party. 13. to cause, compel, or require to (be, do, or be done): have my shoes mended. 14. (takes an infinitive with to) used as an auxiliary to express compulsion or necessity: I had to run quickly to escape him. 15. to eat, drink, or partake of: to have a good meal. 16. slang to have sexual intercourse with: he had her on the sofa. 17. (used with a negative) to tolerate or allow: I won’t have all this noise. 18. to declare, state, or assert: rumour has it that they will marry. 19. to put or place: I’ll have the sofa in this room. 20. to receive as a guest: to have three people to stay. 21. to beget or bear (offspring): she had three children. 22. (takes a past participle) used as an auxiliary to form compound tenses expressing completed action: I have gone; I shall have gone; I would have gone; I had gone. 23. had better had best ought to: used to express compulsion, obligation, etc: you had better go. 24. had rather had sooner to consider or find preferable that: I had rather you left at once. 25. have done See done326. have had it informal a. to be exhausted, defeated, or killedb. to have lost one’s last chancec. to become unfashionable27. have it to win a victory28. have it away have it off slang Brit to have sexual intercourse29. have it coming informal to be about to receive or to merit punishment or retribution30. have it in for informal to wish or intend harm towards31. have it so good to have so many benefits, esp material benefits32. have to do with a. to have dealings or associate with: I have nothing to do with her. b. to be of relevance to: this has nothing to do with you. 33. I have it informal I know the answer34. let someone have it slang to launch or deliver an attack on, esp to discharge a firearm at someone35. not having any (foll by of) informal refusing to take part or be involved (in)n (usually plural) a person or group of people in possession of wealth, security, etc: the haves and the have-nots. [Old English habban; related to Old Norse hafa, Old Saxon hebbian, Old High German hab?n, Latin hab?re]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014have (hæv; unstressed h?v, ?v; for 26 usually hæf) v.andauxiliary v., pres. sing. 1stand2nd pers. have, v.t. 1. to possess; own; hold for use; contain: I have property. The work has an index. 2. to accept in some relation: He wants to marry her, if she’ll have him. 3. to get; receive; take: to have a part in a play; to have news. 4. to experience, undergo, or endure: Have a good time. He had a heart attack. 5. to hold in mind, sight, etc.: to have doubts. 6. to cause to, as by command or invitation: Have him come here at five. 7. to be in a certain relation to: She has three cousins. 8. to show or exhibit in action or words: She had the crust to refuse my invitation. 9. to be identified or distinguished by; possess the characteristic of: This wood has a silky texture. 10. to engage in; carry on: to have a talk; to have a fight. 11. to partake of; eat or drink: We had cake for dessert. 12. to permit; allow: I will not have any talking during the concert. 13. to assert or represent as being: Rumor has it that she’s moving. 14. to give birth to; beget: to have a baby. 15. to hold an advantage over: He has you there. 16. to outwit; deceive; cheat: We realized we’d been had by a con artist. 17. to control or possess through bribery; bribe. 18. to gain possession of: There is none to be had at that price. 19. to hold or put in a certain position or situation: The problem had me stumped. 20. to exercise; display: Have pity on them. 21. to invite or cause to be present as a companion or guest: We had Evelyn over for dinner. 22. to engage in sexual intercourse with. 23. to know or be skilled in: to have neither Latin nor Greek. v.i. 24. to be in possession of money or wealth: those who have and those who have not. auxiliary verb. 25. (used with a past participle to form perfect tenses): She has gone. I would have felt better if the hotel had cost less. 26. to be required, compelled, or under obligation (fol. by infinitival to, with or without a main verb): I have to leave now. 27. have at, to attack with vigor. n. 28. one that has wealth, social position, or other material benefits. Idioms: 1. have done, to cease; finish. 2. have had it, a. to be tired and disgusted: I’ve had it with your excuses. b. to be ready for discarding, as something shabby, old, or no longer useful or popular. 3. have it coming, to deserve whatever good or ill fortune one receives. 4. have it in for, to wish harm to. 5. have it out, to reach an understanding through fighting or intense discussion. 6. have to do with, a. to be connected or associated with: Your ambition had a lot to do with your success. b. to deal with; be concerned with. [before 900; Middle English haven,habben, Old English habban, c. Old Saxon hebbian, Old High German hab?n, Old Norse hafa, Gothic haban] usage: See of. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.have – Coming through Proto-Germanic khaben, it was from Indo-European kap-, meaning “possession.”See also related terms for possession.Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.haveHave is one of the most common verbs in English. It is used in many different ways. Its other forms are has, having, had.Have is often an auxiliary verb.Have, has, and had are not usually pronounced in full when they come after a pronoun or noun. When you write down what someone says, you usually represent have, has, and had as ‘ve, ‘s, and ‘d after a pronoun. You can also represent has as ‘s after a noun.Have to is often used to say that someone must do something.Have is often used in front of a noun phrase to say that someone does something.Have can also be used to say that someone arranges for something to be done. When have is used like this, it is followed by a noun phrase and an -ed participle.Have is often used to show possession.In conversation and less formal writing, have got can be used instead of ‘have’ to show possession.Don’t use a progressive form in any of the following ways:Here are some ways in which you do use a progressive form of have:Have and take are both commonly used with nouns as their objects to indicate that someone performs an action or takes part in an activity. With some nouns, you can use either have or take with the same meaning. For example, you can say ‘Have a look at this’ or ‘Take a look at this’. Similarly, you can say ‘We have our holidays in August’ or ‘We take our holidays in August’.There is often a difference between British and American usage. For example, British speakers usually say ‘He had a bath’, while American speakers say ‘He took a bath’.When talking about some activities, American speakers often use take. For example, they say ‘He took a walk’ or ‘She took a nap’. British speakers would say ‘He went for a walk’ or ‘She had a nap’.