HAVE TO Definition & Meaning (original) (raw)

  1. Also, have got to. Be obliged to, must. For example, We have to go now, or He has got to finish the paper today. The use of have as an auxiliary verb to indicate obligation goes back to the 16th century; the variant using got dates from the mid-1800s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Under current rules, 80 MPs would have to nominate a specific opponent, which would then trigger a leadership election lasting weeks or months, conducted among the 350,000 or so registered Labour Party members.

FromSalon • May 12, 2026

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‘We love the U.S., but now there is a reality in which we have to cut our losses and stop coming,’ one band said.

FromLos Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

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These countries still have to broadcast, perform and vote in one of the semi-finals.

FromBBC • May 12, 2026

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He added that Warsh will not simply be able to impose his will on the central bank, and will have to work with his fellow policymakers.

FromBarron's • May 12, 2026

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“Then I have to start painting for real.”

From"Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.