to have
have
hæv
hāv
halveheave

Definition & Meaning of "have"in English

to have
01

to hold or own something 

Dialect
have gotbritish flagBritish
Transitive: to have sth
to have definition and meaning
Grammatical Information
Composition
Simple
State verb
Irregular
Present tense
have
3rd person singular
has
Present participle
having
Past simple
had
Past participle
had
Examples
I have a collection of antique coins that I inherited from my grandfather. 
1.1

to get or receive something 

Transitive: to have sth
Examples
Waiter, can I have the menu, please? 
1.2

used to indicate the relationships between people, as in family members, friends, or acquaintances 

Transitive: to have a family or acquaintance
Examples
Do you have a coworker named Johnson? 
1.3

to possess a feature or quality 

Transitive: to have a quality or feature
Examples
She has a remarkable talent for playing the violin. 
1.4

to receive someone as a guest 

Transitive: to have | to have for a meal
Examples
I'm having a few friends for brunch; would you like to join us? 
1.5

to accept or take a particular person for a specific position or role 

Transitive: to have sb as a role
Examples
Who are we going to have as the new project manager? 
1.6

to cause a specific effect on a person or thing 

Transitive: to have an impact | to have an impact on sb/sth
Examples
The speech had a profound impact on the audience, inspiring change. 
1.7

to contain or include a specific item, number, or group 

Transitive: to have a component or item
Examples
The conference had 500 attendees from around the world. 
1.8

to possess the ability or opportunity to make use of something that is available 

Transitive: to have a resource or opportunity
Examples
We have no access to the restricted area. 
1.9

to accept to marry someone 

Transitive: to have sb
Examples
I'll gladly have him as my husband if he proposes. 
02

to undergo or experience something 

Transitive: to have a particular experience
Examples
They had difficulties adjusting to the new city. 
2.1

to suffer from a disease, injury, or pain 

Transitive: to have a disease
to have definition and meaning
Examples
She had the flu last week and had to take time off work. 
2.2

to cause someone or something to undergo or experience something 

Ditransitive: to have sb/sth doing sth
Examples
The restaurant has customers waiting for their tables to be cleared. 
2.3

to allow or accept with no complaint 

Transitive: to have sth
Ditransitive: to have sb doing sth
Examples
We can't have employees ignoring safety protocols in the workplace. 
2.4

to be in a position in which one needs or is required to do something 

Transitive: to have a task or errand
Examples
I have a meeting in the morning, so I can't stay out too late. 
2.5

to be affected by an action someone else does to one 

Complex Transitive: to have sb/sth [adj]
Examples
He had his car vandalized while it was parked on the street. 
2.6

to express the occurrence of thoughts, feelings, or ideas in one's mind 

Transitive: to have an idea or feeling
Examples
He had an unsettling suspicion that something wasn't quite right. 
2.7

to trick someone and make them believe something untrue 

Transitive: to have sb
Examples
I can't believe you fell for that story; you've been had by the con artist. 
2.8

to cause someone to react in a certain manner 

Complex Transitive: to have sb doing sth
Examples
They had the audience laughing throughout the performance. 
2.9

to be with a particular person 

Transitive: to have sb with sb
Examples
He had his family with him at the event. 
2.10

to make someone or something be in a specific state or condition 

Complex Transitive: to have sb/sth [adj] | to have sb/sth doing sth
Examples
The engineer had the machine running smoothly again. 
03

(dummy verb) to perform an action that is specified by a noun 

Transitive: to have sth
Examples
He had a laugh with his friends at the comedy show. 
3.1

to give birth to a baby 

Transitive: to have one's child
to have definition and meaning
Examples
She's excited to have her first child in a few months. 
3.2

to make someone do a particular task or action by asking or instructing them 

Ditransitive: to have sb do sth
Examples
She had me complete various tasks for her. 
3.3

to eat or drink something 

Transitive: to have food or a meal
to have definition and meaning
Examples
Let's have breakfast together before we start our day. 
3.4

to have sexual intercourse with someone 

Transitive: to have sb
Examples
She had him on her desk. 
3.5

to hold or arrange an event 

Transitive: to have an event
to have definition and meaning
Examples
She had a birthday party for her son last weekend. 
3.6

to make someone be at a position of disadvantage in an argument 

Transitive: to have sb
Examples
Well, you've got me there. I can't argue with that logic. 
3.7

to smoke a tobacco or similar product 

Transitive: to have a smoke
Examples
He had a cigar to celebrate the occasion. 
3.8

to be pregnant 

Transitive: to have a baby
Examples
She just found out she's going to have a baby. 
3.9

to take a short rest or sleep 

Transitive: to have a period of rest
Examples
After a busy morning, she decided to have a nap to recharge her energy. 
3.10

to clean oneself using water 

Transitive: to have a shower or bath
Examples
I need to have a quick wash before heading out. 
3.11

to experience or undertake a travel 

Transitive: to have a trip
Examples
We decided to have a spontaneous road trip to explore the scenic countryside. 
3.12

to engage in communication with others 

Transitive: to have an act of communication | to have an act of communication with sb
Examples
We decided to have a conversation about our future plans. 
3.13

to verbally express opposing views or differences with someone 

Transitive: to have a disagreement | to have a disagreement with sb
Examples
They had a heated dispute over the property boundaries. 
04

used for saying that something is in a specific position or state 

Complex Transitive: to have sth [adj]
Transitive: to have sth somewhere
Examples
He had his hands on his hips, waiting for a response. 
4.1

to hold something or someone in a certain way 

Transitive: to have sb/sth in a specific manner
Examples
The security guard had the intruder by the arm, preventing escape. 
05

(auxiliary) used with a past participle in forming perfect tenses 

Examples
I have visited that museum before. 
06

to arrange for something to be done by someone for one 

Complex Transitive: to have sth [adj]
Examples
They're having their house painted next week. 
07

to carry an item with oneself 

Transitive: to have sth
Examples
Do you have a pen I can borrow? 
08

to show kindness or understanding toward someone in a difficult situation 

Transitive: to have kindness or mercy on sb | to have empathy for sb
Examples
May the judge have mercy on your soul during the trial. 
09

to acquire a favorable result by offering money or incentives, typically in an unethical manner 

Examples
Information about the competitor's strategy can be had for a price. 
10

to participate in a physical activity 

Transitive: to have a physical activity
Examples
She's planning on having a swim at the beach this afternoon. 
Have
01

a person who possesses great material wealth 

Grammatical Information
Animacy status
Human
Composition
Simple
Countable
Plural form
haves
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