Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

have

/ˈhæv/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 6.71 in modern English

Syllables
have
IPA
/ˈhæv/
10
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To possess, own.

Transitive verb

verb

To hold, as something at someone's disposal.

Transitive verb

verb

To include as a part, ingredient, or feature.

Transitive verb

verb

Used to state the existence or presence of someone in a specified relationship with the subject.

Transitive verb

verb

To consume or use up (a particular substance or resource, especially food or drink).

Transitive verb

verb

To undertake or perform (an action or activity).

Transitive verb

verb

To be scheduled to attend, undertake or participate in.

Transitive verb

verb

To experience, go through, undergo.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic *habjaną Proto-West Germanic *habbjan Old English habban Middle English haven English have From Middle English haven, from Old English habban (“to have”), from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to have”), durative of *habjaną (“to lift, take up”), from Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti, an imperfective formation to the root *kap- (“to take, seize, catch”). Related to heave. Since there is no common Indo-European root for a transitive possessive verb have (notice that Latin habeō is not etymologically related to English have), Proto-Indo-European probably lacked the have structure. Instead, the third person forms of be were used, with the possessor in dative case, compare Latin mihi est / sunt, literally to me is / are. The nonstandard etymology 1, verb sense 34 (“to be (an age)”) is a semantic loan from other languages’ term for “to possess, own”, such as French avoir, Polish mieć, and Spanish tener. Cognates Cognate with Scots hae (“to have”), North Frisian haa, heewe (“to have”), Saterland Frisian häbe, hääbe (“to have”), West Frisian hawwe (“to have”), Afrikaans hê (“to have”), Alemannic German haa, heen, hoh, hä, häbä, hè (“to have”), Bavarian hobm, hobn, hoom, håbn (“to have”), Cimbrian haban, hen, håm (“to have”), Dutch and Low German hebben (“to have”), German haben (“to have”), Limburgish haane, höbbe (“to have”), Luxembourgish hunn (“to have”), Mòcheno hom (“to have”), Vilamovian hon (“to have”), Yiddish האָבן (hobn, “to have”), Danish have (“to have”), Elfdalian åvå (“to have”), Faroese hava (“to have”), Icelandic hafa (“to have”), Norwegian Bokmål ha (“to have”), Norwegian Nynorsk ha, hava, have, hå (“to have”), Swedish ha, hafva, hava (“to have”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (haban, “to have”), Albanian kap (“to grab, catch, grip”), Latin capiō (“take”, verb), Russian хапать (xapatʹ, “to seize”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *kap-, haven, habban, *habbjan, *habjaną, *kapyéti

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhæv/
  • British English: /ˈhæv/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

halve (Canada, US (except New York City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Baltimore); Scotland) of (unstressed, for some speakers)

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce have?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhæv/.
What does have mean?
To possess, own.
Where does have come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce have

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “have”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhæv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “have”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “have” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.