¦ verb (has, having, had)
1. (also have got) possess, own, or hold.
be made up of; comprise.
be able to make use of.
know (a language or subject): I had only a little French.
2. experience; undergo.
(also have got) suffer from (an illness or disability).
cause to be in a particular state.
cause to be done for one by someone else.
3. (have to or have got to) be obliged to; must.
be strongly recommended to.
4. perform the action indicated by the noun specified: he had a look round.
eat or drink.
give birth to or be due to give birth to.
5. (also have got) demonstrate (a personal attribute): he had little patience.
[with negative] refuse to tolerate.
6. (also have got) place, hold, or keep in a particular position.
7. be the recipient or host of.
8. informal cheat or deceive: I realized I'd been had.
9. vulgar slang have sex with.
10. (also have got) informal have put (someone) at a disadvantage in an argument: you've got me there.
¦ auxiliary verb used with a past participle to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses, and the conditional mood.
¦ noun
1. (usu. in phr. the haves and the have-nots) informal people with plenty of money.
2. Brit. informal, dated a swindle.
Phrases
have had it informal
1. be beyond repair or revival: the car has had it.
2. be unable to tolerate any longer.
have it away (or off) Brit. vulgar slang have sex.
have (got) it in for informal behave in a hostile way towards.
have (got) it in one (to do something) informal have the capacity or potential (to do something).
have it out informal attempt to resolve a contentious matter by open confrontation.
have (got) nothing on informal be not nearly as good as.
have nothing (or something) on someone informal know nothing (or something) discreditable or incriminating about someone.
Phrasal verbs
have someone on informal try to make someone believe something that is untrue, especially as a joke.
have something out undergo an operation to extract a part of one's body.
have someone up Brit. informal bring someone before a court of justice to answer for an alleged offence.
Origin
OE
habban, of Gmc origin; prob. related to
heave.
Usage
Be careful not to write the word of when you mean have or 've: I could've told you that not I could of told you that. The mistake arises from the fact that the pronunciation of have in unstressed contexts is the same as that of of, and the two words are confused when writing them down.