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Definition 2024


have_to

have to

English

Alternative forms

  • hafta (informal, nonstandard)

Verb

have to (third-person singular simple present has to, present participle having to, simple past and past participle had to)

  1. Must; need to; to be required to. Indicates obligation.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
      I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.
    • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
      Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.
    I just have to have that shirt;  you have to wear a seat belt
  2. (with be) Must (logical conclusion).
    that has to be the postman;  it has to be an electrical fault

Usage notes

have to is always followed by a bare infinitive verb, unless the verb is assumed:

I don't want to go to school, but I have to.

Synonyms

("obligation"):

("logical conclusion"):

Translations

See also

  • Appendix:English modal verbs
  • Appendix:English tag questions