Have vs. Having: Difference and Comparison
Edited by Muazma Batool — By Muneeza Rehman — Updated on September 9, 2023
"Have" is a verb indicating possession, while "having" is the present participle form of "have," often used to describe an ongoing action or state.
Difference Between Have and Having
"Have" is a versatile verb in the English language, primarily indicating possession. It means to own or hold something. For example, one might "have" a car, "have" a friend, or "have" a job. Its usage is vast, spanning various contexts and nuances, making it an essential verb in everyday language.
Muazma Batool
Sep 09, 2023
"Having," as the present participle of "have," extends its root verb's meaning but is often used to depict an ongoing action or state. For instance, "having" dinner suggests the act of eating dinner is currently in progress. Thus, while "have" often pinpoints possession, "having" leans towards an ongoing activity related to possessing.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 09, 2023
Both "have" and "having" can be used in various grammatical constructs. "Have" serves as an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses, as in "I have finished my work." In contrast, "having" can start a gerund phrase, like "having seen the results, I decided to change my strategy."
Muazma Batool
Sep 09, 2023
While the essence of possession remains at the heart of both terms, their usage can differ depending on context and the grammatical structure of the sentence. Recognizing these distinctions and applying them appropriately is essential for clear and effective communication.
Nolan
Sep 09, 2023
Have vs. Having Comparison Chart
Associated Tenses
Present, Past, Perfect tenses
Present Continuous, Gerund form
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 09, 2023
Have vs. Having Definitions
◉Have
To experience or undergo a feeling or event.
I have a feeling he's right.
Muazma Batool
Sep 09, 2023
◉Having
Present participle form of "have" indicating an ongoing action.
She's having a hard time.
Muazma Batool
Sep 09, 2023
◉Having
Holding or keeping within oneself.
She's having second thoughts about the decision.
Muazma Batool
Sep 09, 2023
◉Have
To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function
has a beard.
had a great deal of energy.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Having
To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function
has a beard.
had a great deal of energy.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Having
To possess or contain as a constituent part
a car that has air bags.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Have
To come into possession of; acquire
Not one copy of the book was to be had in the entire town.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
To come into possession of; acquire
Not one copy of the book was to be had in the entire town.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Having
To be subject to the experience of
had a difficult time last winter.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To cause to do something, as by persuasion or compulsion
had my assistant run the errand.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
To cause to do something, as by persuasion or compulsion
had my assistant run the errand.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To cause to be in a specified place or state
had the guests in the dining room.
had everyone fascinated.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
To cause to be in a specified place or state
had the guests in the dining room.
had everyone fascinated.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To place at a disadvantage
Your opponent in the debate had you on every issue.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
To place at a disadvantage
Your opponent in the debate had you on every issue.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(Informal) To get the better of, especially by trickery or deception
They realized too late that they'd been had by a swindler.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
(Informal) To get the better of, especially by trickery or deception
They realized too late that they'd been had by a swindler.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(Informal) To influence by dishonest means; bribe
an incorruptible official who could not be had.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
(Informal) To influence by dishonest means; bribe
an incorruptible official who could not be had.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
Used with a past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses indicating completed action
The troublemaker has gone for good. I regretted that I had lost my temper. They will have finished by the time we arrive.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
Used with a past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses indicating completed action
The troublemaker has gone for good. I regretted that I had lost my temper. They will have finished by the time we arrive.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
One enjoying especially material wealth
"The gulf widens between the feast of the haves and the famine of the have-nots" (Salman Rushdie).
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
One enjoying especially material wealth
"The gulf widens between the feast of the haves and the famine of the have-nots" (Salman Rushdie).
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To hold, as something at someone's disposal.
Look what I have here—a frog I found on the street!
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To include as a part, ingredient, or feature.
The stove has a handle. The shirt has sleeves.
The words cow and dog have three letters.
A government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial.
The movie has lots of action.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) Used to state the existence or presence of someone in a specified relationship with the subject.
I have two sisters.
She doesn’t have any friends.
I have a really mean boss.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To consume or use up (a particular substance or resource, especially food or drink).
I have breakfast at six o'clock.
You've already had five drinks!
She's had more than enough time already.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To undertake or perform (an action or activity).
Can I have a look at that?
He's having a tantrum about it.
I’m going to have a bath now.
Let’s have a game of tiddlywinks.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To be scheduled to attend, undertake or participate in.
What class do you have right now? I have English.
Fred won’t be able to come to the party; he has a meeting that day.
I have a lot of work to do.
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
Possession; goods; estate.
I 'll lend you something; my having is not much.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To experience, go through, undergo.
We had a hard year last year, with the locust swarms and all that.
He had surgery on his hip yesterday.
I’m having the time of my life!
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May 03, 2023
◉Having
Undergoing a specific process or state.
He's having a medical check-up.
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Sep 09, 2023
◉Have
(auxiliary verb, taking a past participle) Used in forming the perfect aspect.
I have already eaten today.
I had already eaten.
I will have left by the time you get here.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
Used as an interrogative verb before a pronoun to form a tag question, echoing a previous use of 'have' as an auxiliary verb or, in certain cases, main verb. (For further discussion, see the appendix English tag questions.)
They haven’t eaten dinner yet, have they?
Your wife hasn’t been reading that nonsense, has she?
He has some money, hasn’t he?
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To give birth to.
The couple always wanted to have children.
My wife is having the baby right now!
My mother had me when she was 25.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(usually passive) To obtain.
The substance you describe can't be had at any price.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To engage in sexual intercourse with.
He’s always bragging about how many women he’s had.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To accept as a romantic partner.
Despite my protestations of love, she would not have me.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To cause to, by a command, request or invitation.
They had me feed their dog while they were out of town.
Her very boyfriend is the person the criminal has do most of her dirty deeds.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To cause to be.
He had him arrested for trespassing.
The lecture’s ending had the entire audience in tears.
Jim has his eyes closed.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To be affected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying a topic that is not a verb argument.)
The hospital had several patients contract pneumonia last week.
I’ve had three people today tell me my hair looks nice.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To depict as being.
Their stories differed; he said he’d been at work when the incident occurred, but her statement had him at home that entire evening.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To inflict punishment or retribution on.
You broke the window! Teacher’ll have you for that!
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To feel or be (especially painfully) aware of.
Dan certainly has arms today, probably from scraping paint off four columns the day before.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To trick, to deceive.
I bought a laptop online but it never arrived. I think I've been had!
You had me alright! I never would have thought that was just a joke.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Have
To allow; to tolerate.
The child screamed incessantly for his mother to buy him a toy, but she wasn't having any of it.
I asked my dad if I could go to the concert this Thursday, but he wouldn't have it since it's a school night.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To believe, buy, be taken in by.
I made up an excuse as to why I was out so late, but my wife wasn't having any of it.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To host someone; to take in as a guest.
Thank you for having me!
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Have
(transitive) To get a reading, measurement, or result from an instrument or calculation.
What do you have for problem two?
I have two contacts on my scope.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To consider a court proceeding that has been completed; to begin deliberations on a case.
We’ll schedule closing arguments for Thursday, and the jury will have the case by that afternoon.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
A fraud or deception; something misleading.
They advertise it as a great deal, but I think it's a bit of a have.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To possess, as something which appertains to, is connected with, or affects, one.
The earth hath bubbles, as the water has.
He had a fever late.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To accept possession of; to take or accept.
Break thy mind to me in broken English; wilt thou have me?
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To cause or procure to be; to effect; to exact; to desire; to require.
I had the church accurately described to me.
Wouldst thou have me turn traitor also?
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To take or hold (one's self); to proceed promptly; - used reflexively, often with ellipsis of the pronoun; as, to have after one; to have at one or at a thing, i. e., to aim at one or at a thing; to attack; to have with a companion.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To be under necessity or obligation; to be compelled; followed by an infinitive.
Science has, and will long have, to be a divider and a separatist.
The laws of philology have to be established by external comparison and induction.
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
To put in an awkward position; to have the advantage of; as, that is where he had him.
Myself for such a face had boldly died.
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May 03, 2023
◉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
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
have as a feature;
This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
of mental or physical states or experiences;
get an idea
experience vertigo
get nauseous
undergo a strange sensation
The chemical undergoes a sudden change
The fluid undergoes shear
receive injuries
have a feeling
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
have ownership or possession of;
He owns three houses in Florida
How many cars does she have?
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May 03, 2023
◉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
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
serve oneself to, or consume regularly;
Have another bowl of chicken soup!
I don't take sugar in my coffee
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
have a personal or business relationship with someone;
have a postdoc
have an assistant
have a lover
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
organize or be responsible for;
hold a reception
have, throw, or make a party
give a course
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
have left;
I have two years left
I don't have any money left
They have two more years before they retire
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May 03, 2023
◉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
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May 03, 2023
◉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
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
get something; come into possession of;
receive payment
receive a gift
receive letters from the front
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May 03, 2023
◉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
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
achieve a point or goal;
Nicklaus had a 70
The Brazilian team got 4 goals
She made 29 points that day
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May 03, 2023
◉Have
have sex with; archaic use;
He had taken this woman when she was most vulnerable
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May 03, 2023
Have vs. Having Frequently Asked Questions
How does "have" convey obligation?
When used with "to," as in "have to," it indicates necessity or obligation.
William
Sep 09, 2023
In which situations would you use "having"?
"Having" is used in continuous tenses or as the start of a gerund phrase.
Kaitlyn
Sep 09, 2023
Can "have" describe feelings or experiences?
Yes, phrases like "have a feeling" describe experiences or emotions.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 09, 2023
How does "having" typically portray an action?
"Having" describes an ongoing action or state.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 09, 2023
Can "have" work as an auxiliary verb?
Yes, "have" is used as an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses.
Muazma Batool
Sep 09, 2023
When is "having" used in the context of events or meals?
Phrases like "having lunch" describe ongoing events or actions.
Muazma Batool
Sep 09, 2023
Is "having" ever used to mean possession?
Not directly, but it can describe an ongoing state of possessing.
Elijah
Sep 09, 2023
Is "have" used in questions about possession?
Yes, questions like "Do you have...?" ask about possession.
William
Sep 09, 2023
Can "having" start a descriptive clause?
Yes, "having" can start gerund phrases, like "having understood the rules, he played fairly."
Kaitlyn
Sep 09, 2023
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