have-not

noun

ˈhav-ˌnät How to pronounce have-not (audio)
-ˈnät
: one that is poor especially in material wealth

Examples of have-not in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Among American art museums, there are haves and have-nots, with big-city, legacy galleries owning boatloads of great art--much of it in storage--and smaller, newer places in the provinces making do with nary a Renoir, Rothko, or Rembrandt. Christian Schneider, National Review, 12 June 2025 Indeed, some are worried that the world will divide into the AGI haves and AGI have-nots, partially due to the exorbitant cost that AGI might involve. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025 Charting a divided league’s haves and have-nots Ranking the top 25 college football teams: Who’s biggest winner after the spring portal window? The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 22 May 2025 The conversation about baseball’s haves and have-nots bled into the offseason, as the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets tossed around hundreds of millions while nine teams declined to sign any player to a multiyear contract. Andy McCullough, New York Times, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for have-not

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of have-not was in 1836

Cite this Entry

“Have-not.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have-not. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

have-not

noun
ˈhav-ˌnät,
-ˈnät
: one that is poor in material wealth

More from Merriam-Webster on have-not

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