Have 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'.
| Imperative |
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| Noun | 1. | have - a person who possesses great material wealthindividual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" affluent - an affluent person; a person who is financially well off; "the so-called emerging affluents" Croesus - a very wealthy man fat cat - a wealthy and privileged person millionairess - a woman millionaire plutocrat - someone who exercises power by virtue of wealth millionaire - a person whose material wealth is valued at more than a million dollars billionaire - a very rich person whose material wealth is valued at more than a billion dollars multi-billionaire - a very rich person whose material wealth is valued at many billions of dollars |
| Verb | 1. | have - have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard" maintain, sustain, keep - supply with necessities and support; "She alone sustained her family"; "The money will sustain our good cause"; "There's little to earn and many to keep" keep, hold on - retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married" keep - look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone" maintain, keep - maintain for use and service; "I keep a car in the countryside"; "She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips" keep - have as a supply; "I always keep batteries in the freezer"; "keep food for a week in the pantry"; "She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator" monopolise, monopolize - have or exploit a monopoly of; "OPEC wants to monopolize oil" hold, bear - have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices; "She bears the title of Duchess"; "He held the governorship for almost a decade" carry - have or possess something abstract; "I carry her image in my mind's eye"; "I will carry the secret to my grave"; "I carry these thoughts in the back of my head"; "I carry a lot of life insurance" |
| 2. | have - have as a feature; "This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France" wear - have or show an appearance of; "wear one's hair in a certain way" carry - have a certain range; "This rifle carries for 3,000 feet" have, have got, hold - have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard" own, possess, have - have ownership or possession of; "He owns three houses in Florida"; "How many cars does she have?" carry - be equipped with (a mast or sail); "This boat can only carry a small sail" bear - have; "bear a resemblance"; "bear a signature" give off - have as a by-product; "The big cities gave off so many wonderful American qualities" star - feature as the star; "The movie stars Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man" sport, boast, feature - wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner; "she was sporting a new hat" possess - have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill; "he possesses great knowledge about the Middle East" bristle - have or be thickly covered with or as if with bristles; "bristling leaves" bristle, abound, burst - be in a state of movement or action; "The room abounded with screaming children"; "The garden bristled with toddlers" brim - be completely full; "His eyes brimmed with tears" carry, pack, take - have with oneself; have on one's person; "She always takes an umbrella"; "I always carry money"; "She packs a gun when she goes into the mountains" read, say - have or contain a certain wording or form; "The passage reads as follows"; "What does the law say?" wear - have in one's aspect; wear an expression of one's attitude or personality; "He always wears a smile" carry - have as an inherent or characteristic feature or have as a consequence; "This new washer carries a two year guarantee"; "The loan carries a high interest rate"; "this undertaking carries many dangers"; "She carries her mother's genes"; "These bonds carry warrants"; "The restaurant carries an unusual name" | |
| 3. | have - go through (mental or physical states or experiences); "get an idea"; "experience vertigo"; "get nauseous"; "receive injuries"; "have a feeling" suffer, sustain, have, get - undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" undergo - pass through; "The chemical undergoes a sudden change"; "The fluid undergoes shear"; "undergo a strange sensation" take - experience or feel or submit to; "Take a test"; "Take the plunge" horripilate - have one's hair stand on end and get goosebumps; "I horripilate when I see violence on television" | |
| 4. | have - have ownership or possession of; "He owns three houses in Florida"; "How many cars does she have?" prepossess - possess beforehand | |
| 5. | have - cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition; "He got his squad on the ball"; "This let me in for a big surprise"; "He got a girl into trouble" | |
| 6. | have - serve oneself to, or consume regularly; "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee" hit - consume to excess; "hit the bottle" cannibalise, cannibalize - eat human flesh eat - eat a meal; take a meal; "We did not eat until 10 P.M. because there were so many phone calls"; "I didn't eat yet, so I gladly accept your invitation" eat - take in solid food; "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?" drink, imbibe - take in liquids; "The patient must drink several liters each day"; "The children like to drink soda" eat, feed - take in food; used of animals only; "This dog doesn't eat certain kinds of meat"; "What do whales eat?" sample, taste, try, try out - take a sample of; "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the regional dishes" smoke - inhale and exhale smoke from cigarettes, cigars, pipes; "We never smoked marijuana"; "Do you smoke?" swallow, get down - pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking; "Swallow the raw fish--it won't kill you!" sup - take solid or liquid food into the mouth a little at a time either by drinking or by eating with a spoon | |
| 7. | have - have a personal or business relationship with someone; "have a postdoc"; "have an assistant"; "have a lover" interact - act together or towards others or with others; "He should interact more with his colleagues" | |
| 8. | have - organize or be responsible for; "hold a reception"; "have, throw, or make a party"; "give a course" direct - be in charge of | |
| 9. | have - have left; "I have two years left"; "I don't have any money left"; "They have two more years before they retire" leave - have left or have as a remainder; "That left the four of us"; "19 minus 8 leaves 11" | |
| 10. | have - be confronted with; "What do we have here?"; "Now we have a fine mess" | |
| 11. | have - undergo; "The stocks had a fast run-up" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" | |
| 12. | have - suffer from; be ill with; "She has arthritis" | |
| 13. | have - cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner; "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa" decide - cause to decide; "This new development finally decided me!" persuade - cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm; "You can't persuade me to buy this ugly vase!" bring - induce or persuade; "The confession of one of the accused brought the others to admit to the crime as well" solicit - incite, move, or persuade to some act of lawlessness or insubordination; "He was accused of soliciting his colleagues to destroy the documents" encourage - spur on; "His financial success encouraged him to look for a wife" let - actively cause something to happen; "I let it be known that I was not interested" lead - cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks" suborn - induce to commit perjury or give false testimony; "The President tried to suborn false witnesses" | |
| 14. | have - receive willingly something given or offered; "The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter"; "I won't have this dog in my house!"; "Please accept my present"receive, have - get something; come into possession of; "receive payment"; "receive a gift"; "receive letters from the front" acquire, get - come into the possession of something concrete or abstract; "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day"; "Get permission to take a few days off from work" admit, take on, accept, take - admit into a group or community; "accept students for graduate study"; "We'll have to vote on whether or not to admit a new member" welcome - accept gladly; "I welcome your proposals" | |
| 15. | have - get something; come into possession of; "receive payment"; "receive a gift"; "receive letters from the front" hustle - get by trying hard; "she hustled a free lunch from the waiter" accept - receive (a report) officially, as from a committee fence - receive stolen goods acquire, get - come into the possession of something concrete or abstract; "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day"; "Get permission to take a few days off from work" accept, take, have - receive willingly something given or offered; "The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter"; "I won't have this dog in my house!"; "Please accept my present" graduate - receive an academic degree upon completion of one's studies; "She graduated in 1990" inherit - receive by genetic transmission; "I inherited my good eyesight from my mother" | |
| 16. | have - undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" collapse, break down - collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack cramp - suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle have - suffer from; be ill with; "She has arthritis" experience, have, receive, get - go through (mental or physical states or experiences); "get an idea"; "experience vertigo"; "get nauseous"; "receive injuries"; "have a feeling" | |
| 17. | have - achieve a point or goal; "Nicklaus had a 70"; "The Brazilian team got 4 goals"; "She made 29 points that day" make - act in a certain way so as to acquire; "make friends"; "make enemies" | |
| 18. | have - cause to be born; "My wife had twins yesterday!"twin - give birth to twins drop - give birth; used for animals; "The cow dropped her calf this morning" foal - give birth to a foal; "the mare foaled" cub - give birth to cubs; "bears cub every year" kitten - have kittens; "our cat kittened again this year" lamb - give birth to a lamb; "the ewe lambed" litter - give birth to a litter of animals fawn - have fawns; "deer fawn" have young, calve - birth; "the whales calve at this time of year" have a bun in the oven, gestate, expect, bear, carry - be pregnant with; "She is bearing his child"; "The are expecting another child in January"; "I am carrying his child" produce, bring forth - bring forth or yield; "The tree would not produce fruit" | |
| 19. | have - have sex with; archaic use; "He had taken this woman when she was most vulnerable" do it, get it on, get laid, have a go at it, have intercourse, have it away, have it off, be intimate, lie with, roll in the hay, screw, sleep together, sleep with, hump, jazz, love, bed, bang, make out, know - have sexual intercourse with; "This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm"; "Adam knew Eve"; "Were you ever intimate with this man?" |