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- DictionaryHave/hav/
verb
- 1. possess, own, or hold: "he had a new car and a boat" Similar possessownbe in possession ofbe the owner ofbe the (proud) possessor ofhave in one's possessionhave to one's namecount among one's possessionsbe blessed withboastenjoykeepmaintainretainholduseutilizeoccupyOpposite be bereft of
- ▪ possess or be provided with (a quality, characteristic, or feature): "the ham had a sweet, smoky flavor"
- ▪ provide or indulge oneself with (something): informal North American "he had himself two highballs"
- ▪ be made up of; comprise: "in 1989 the party had 10,000 members" Similar compriseconsist ofcontainincludeincorporatebe composed ofbe made up ofbe formed ofembraceembodyencompasstake informal:comprehend
- ▪ used to indicate a particular relationship: "he's got three children"
- ▪ be able to make use of (something available or at one's disposal): "how much time have I got for the presentation?"
- ▪ have gained (a qualification): "he's got a BA in English"
- ▪ possess as an intellectual attainment; know (a language or subject): "he knew Latin and Greek; I had only a little French"
- 2. experience; undergo: "I went to a few parties and had a good time" Similar experienceencounterundergofacemeetfindgo throughrun intocome acrossbe subjected tohave experience ofbe faced withexperienceenjoytaste
- ▪ suffer from (an illness, ailment, or disability): "I've got a headache" Similar be suffering frombe afflicted bybe affected bybe troubled withbe a sufferer frominformal:be a martyr to
- ▪ let (a feeling or thought) come into one's mind; hold in the mind: "he had the strong impression that someone was watching him" Similar harborfeelentertainfosternursecherishnurturebearsustainmaintainkeep in one's mind
- ▪ experience or suffer the specified action happening or being done to (something): "she had her bag stolen"
- ▪ cause (someone or something) to be in a particular state or condition: "I want to have everything ready in good time"
- ▪ cause (something) to be done for one by someone else: "it is advisable to have your carpet laid by a professional" Similar cause tomakeask torequest toget totell torequire topersuade toinduce toprevail upon someone toorder tocommand todirect toenjoin tooblige toforce tocompel tocoerce to
- ▪ tell or arrange for something to be done: "always having the builders in to do something"
- ▪ have put (someone) at a disadvantage in an argument (said either to acknowledge that one has no answer to a point or to show that one knows one's opponent has no answer): informal "you've got me there; I've never given the matter much thought"
- ▪ cheat or deceive (someone): informal "I realized I'd been had" Similar trickfooldeceivecheatdupetake inoutwitdouble-crosshoodwinkswindleinformal:docondiddlebilkrip offshaftpull a fast one onput one over ontake to the cleanerssuckersnookerstiff
- ▪ have sex with. vulgar slang
- 3. be obliged or find it necessary to do the specified thing: "you don't have to accept this situation" Similar musthave got tobe obliged tobe required tobe compelled tobe forced tobe bound tobe duty-bound tobe under an obligation to
- ▪ need or be obliged to do (something): "he's got a lot to do"
- ▪ be strongly recommended to do something: "if you think that place is great, you have to try our summer house"
- ▪ be certain or inevitable to happen or be the case: "there has to be a catch"
- 4. perform the action indicated by the noun specified (used especially in spoken English as an alternative to a more specific verb): "he had a look around"
- ▪ organize and bring about: "are you going to have a party?" Similar organizearrangeholdgivehostthrowprovideput onlay onset upfix upmake arrangements formake preparations forpencil inprepare forplan forOpposite cancel
- ▪ eat or drink: "I'll have the vegetable plate" Similar eatconsumedevourpartake ofdrinkemptydrainquaffinformal:demolishdispose ofput awayget outside ofscoff (down)pack awaytuck awayimbibesinkknock backinformal:shiftbevvyscarf (down/up)snarf (down/up)inhalerare:ingurgitatebib
- ▪ give birth to or be due to give birth to: "she's going to have a baby" Similar give birth tobearproducebe delivered ofbring into the worldinformal:droparchaic:be brought to bed ofbring forthbeget
- 5. show (a personal attribute or quality) by one's actions or attitude: "he had little patience with technological gadgetry" Similar manifestshowdisplayexhibitdemonstrateexpressevince
- ▪ exercise or show (mercy, pity, etc.) toward another person: "God have mercy on me!"
- ▪ not accept; refuse to tolerate: "I can't have you insulting Tom like that" Similar tolerateendurebearsupportacceptput up withgo along withtakecountenancebrookpermit toallow toinformal:standabidestickstomachhold withbe doing with
- 6. place or keep (something) in a particular position: "Mary had her back to me"
- ▪ hold or grasp (someone or something) in a particular way: "he had me by the throat"
- 7. be the recipient of (something sent, given, or done): "she had a letter from Mark" Similar receivegetbe givenbe sentobtainacquireprocurecome bytake receipt ofOpposite sendgive
- ▪ take or invite into one's home so as to provide care or entertainment, especially for a limited period: "we're having the children for the weekend" Similar entertainbe host tocater forreceiveinvite overask overshow hospitality toinvite to a mealinvite to a partywine and dineaccommodateput uptake ingive a bed toOpposite visit
auxiliary
- 1. used with a past participle to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses, and the conditional mood: "I have finished"
noun
- 1. people with plenty of money and possessions: informal "an increasing gap between the haves and have-nots"
Word Origin Old Englishhabban, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hebben and German haben, also probably to heave.
Scrabble Points: 10
H
4A
1V
4E
1
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