Since there is no common Indo-European root for a transitive possessive verbhave (notice thatLatinhabeō is not etymologically related to Englishhave), Proto-Indo-European probably lacked thehave structure. Instead, the third person forms ofbe were used, with the possessor indative case, compare Latinmihi est / sunt, literallyto me is / are.[3]
The universe is expanding andhas been since its beginning.
I willhave left by the time you get here.
This is the first (and last) time I've eaten lobster.
I’ve worked here for exactly four years, one month and 10 days.
The dogshave eaten your dinner, and I ate the last of the frozen burgers this morning.
The American Revolutionhas influenced every democratic process in Europe since the 19th c.
Used as an interrogative verb before apronoun to form atag question, echoing a previous use of 'have' as an auxiliary verb or, in certain cases, main verb. (For further discussion, see the appendixEnglish tag questions.)
They haven’t eaten dinner yet,have they?
Your wife hasn’t been reading that nonsense,has she?
Theyhad me feed their dog while they were out of town.
Her very boyfriend is the person the criminalhas do most of her dirty deeds.
The floor hashad oil dropped all over it.
2002, Matt Cyr,Something to Teach Me: Journal of an American in the Mountains of Haiti, Educa Vision, Inc.,→ISBN, page25:
His English is still in its beginning stages, like my Creole, but he was able to translate some Creole songs that he's written into English—not the best English, but English nonetheless. Hehad me correct the translations. That kind of thing is very interesting to me. When I was learning Spanish, I would often take my favorite songs and try to translate them.
(transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement) Tocause to be.
Hehad him arrested for trespassing.
I'd betterhave my watch repaired today: tomorrow I have tohave my hair cut beforehaving pictures taken for my passport.
The lecture’s endinghad the entire audience in tears.
Jimhas his eyes closed.
(transitive with bare infinitive) To beaffected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying atopic that is asmall clause.)
The hospitalhad several patients contract pneumonia last week.
I’vehad three people today tell me my hair looks nice.
(transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement) Todepict as being.
Their stories differed; he said he’d been at work when the incident occurred, but her statementhad him at home that entire evening.
2011 May 3, “Corrections and clarifications”, inThe Guardian[4]:
Anton Rogan, 8, was one of the runners-up in the Tick Tock Box short story competition, not Anton Rogers as wehad it.
2018 October 30, Dave Simpson, “The Buggles: how we made Video Killed the Radio Star”, inThe Guardian[5], Guardian News & Media, retrieved20 March 2025:
When we did a rerecorded version for Top of the Pops, the Musicians' Union bloke said, "If I think you're making strings sounds out of a synthesiser, I'm going tohave you. Video Killed the Radio Star is putting musicians out of business."
You broke the window! Teacher’llhave you for that!
In certain dialects, expressions (e.g.,Ihaven't thefaintest idea) , and literary use, the lexicalhave can be used withoutdo-support, meaning the sentenceDo you have an idea? can also beHave you an idea? This makeshave the only lexical verb in Modern English that can function without it, aside from somenonce examples with other verbs in set phrases, as inWhat say you?, and aside from the verbbe where this is considered lexical.
The auxiliaryhave which forms the perfect tense never usesdo-support, soHave you seen it? cannot beDo you have seen it?.
A sentence can't end with a contracted form ofhave orhas, so the response toHave you done it? might beI have but notI've and, similarly, one might respond toHas he done it? withHe has but nothe's. Also,do ordoes cannot be followed by a contracted form ofhave orhas. It's possible to say or writeI do have orShe does have but notI do've orShe does've.
Belarusian:мець(be)impf(mjecʹ),usually expressed with expressions:у мяне́ (ёсць)(u mjanjé (joscʹ)) - I have,у цябе́ (ёсць)(u cjabjé (joscʹ)) - you have, etc. Seeу(u)
Turkish:sahip olmak(tr),usually expressed with expressions: "benim ...(I)m var" - I have, "senin ...(I)n var" - you have, etc.
Ukrainian:ма́ти(uk)impf(máty),usually expressed with expressions:у/в мене (є)(u/v mene (je)) - I have,у/в тебе (є)(u/v tebe (je)) - I have - you have, etc. Seeу(u) /в(v)
Welsh:(formal or northern)usebod(cy) +gan +subject +object; literally "object is by subject";(southern)usebod(cy) +object +gyda +subject; literally "object is with subject"
Tibetan:ཡོད(yod)(egophoric, restricted to use with only certain volitional verbs),ཡོད་རེད(yod red)(assertive),འདུག('dug)(testimonial),བཞག(bzhag)(inferential)
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
A good credit rating can mean the difference between being ahave or a have not.
1999, Various,The Haves and Have Nots, Penguin,→ISBN:
While these stories serve to make us conscious of the implications of being a “have” or a “have-not,” as with all good literature, they do much more than that. They provide a glimpse into lives that we might never encounter elsewhere.
2021 April 5, Laura Vozzella, “Charlottesville mayor says graphic poem illustrates Black experience in city”, inThe Washington Post[6]:
A longtime advocate for racial and social justice with a degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, Walker, 40, got into politics at the urging of Edwards, an African American woman widely praised as a bridge-builder between the city’shaves and have-nots.
(idiomatic,uncommon) One who has some (contextually specified) thing.
2010, Simon Collin,Dictionary of Wine, A&C Black,→ISBN:
To find out whether you are ahave or a have not, did you understand the malo and Brett sentence a few lines back? If no, this doesn't make any difference to me, as you are the proud possessor of something the 'haves' haven't got. You know exactly what you like and why you like it. The 'haves' pretend to like and understand everything, which by the way is impossible. They deliberate over choosing a bottle in the shop for hours, ...
2013, Kelda,Men Under a Microscope, Author House,→ISBN, page57:
Generally, I can assure you that a woman's posterior causes a stir, whether she's considered ahave or a have not. But in most cases, men gravitate toward a pair of prominent gluteus muscles because they find this display appealing. This prominent protrusion can make a pair of jeans look like it was painted on, above just being good to look at. And by the way, it also incites some backshot (a Caribbean term for a well-known sex position) and spanking tendencies during sexual activity ...
2014, Derek Prince,Ultimate Security: Finding a Refuge in Difficult Times, Whitaker House,→ISBN:
The question you must answer is, “Do you have Jesus?” In Jesus, you have eternal life. If you do not have Jesus—if you have not received Him—you do not have “the life.” Are you a “have,” or are you a “have not”? That is a vital decision every person must make—a critical issue you have to resolve for yourself.
^Hurd, Seth P. (1847), “Have”, in “False Pronunciation”, inA Grammatical Corrector; or, A Vocabulary of the Common Errors of Speech[1],Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co,→OCLC,page83.
They advertise it as a great deal, but I think it's a bit of ahave.
2017 November 14, Joanna Davis, “Go with the flow in Abel Tasman National Park”, instuff.co.nz:
"Open your eyes" is the company's tagline and part of its mission is to wake us up to the area's history, to the fact that New Zealand's '100% pure' marketing is a bit of ahave, as well as to share the encouraging conservation efforts under way.
Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor,A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published1867,page102
