had
/hæd/
had verb: used to form the past perfect tense, expressing an action that took place prior to a reference point that is itself in the past. Also the simple past and past participle of have.
Verb
had
- Used to form the past perfect tense, expressing an action that took place prior to a reference point that is itself in the past.
- I felt sure that I had seen him before.
- When I'd (already) done some exercise, I had a cappuccino.
- As past subjunctive: would have.
- Had I not known you were coming this evening, I'd have left at midday.
- To holde myne honde, by God, I had grete payne; / For forthwyth there I had him slayne, / But that I drede mordre wolde come oute[…].1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte
Also used as
had is also the simple past and past participle of have.
Examples of had in a sentence
- Cooper seems an odd choice, but imagine if they had taken MTV's advice and chosen Robert Pattinson?2011 April 15, Ben Cooper, The Guardian, London:
- Julius Cæsar had escaped death, if going to the Senate-house, that day wherein he was murthered by the Conspirators, he had read a memorial which was presented unto him.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 4, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount...
- If all was good and fair we met, / This earth had been the Paradise / It never look’d to human eyes / Since our first Sun arose and set.1849, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam, section 24:
Origin of had
From Middle English hadde (preterite), yhad (past participle), from Old English hæfde (first and third person singular preterite), ġehæfd (past participle), from Proto-Germanic *habdaz, past and past participle stem of *habjaną (“to have”), equivalent to have + -ed. Cognate with Dutch had, German hatte, Swedish hade, Icelandic hafði.
Words formed from had
Phrases with had
186 more phrasesFewer phrases
- had a go
- had down
- had ears
- had form
- had legs
- had like
- had over
- had time
- had a cow
- had a fit
- had a gas
- had a say
- had an in
- had mercy
- had ought
- had words
- had a ball
- had a bath
- had a bird
- had a bite
- had a care
- had a clue
- had a look
- had a pair
- had a seat
- had a shit
- had a stab
- had a time
- had a word
- had got to
- had had it
- had it all
- had it bad
- had it off
- had it out
- has had it
- had a heart
- had a laugh
- had a point
- had against
- had down as
- had in mind
- had it away
- had it down
- had it easy
- had kittens
- had no idea
- had shit on
- have had it
- had a cob on
- had a jag on
- had a listen
- had a moment
- had eyes for
- had it rough
- had a face on
- had a hand in
- had a lend of
- had a mind to
- had a monk on
- had a tantrum
- had an affair
- had done with
- had it coming
- had it in for
- had it in one
- had one's way
- had the blues
- had the cards
- had the floor
- had the heart
- having had it
- rumour had it
- had a crack at
- had a good one
- had a head for
- had a snootful
- had a way with
- had a whack at
- had an eye for
- had designs on
- had full hands
- had it on lock
- had it out for
- had no use for
- had none of it
- had nothing on
- had one's fill
- had one's pick
- had the law of
- had truck with
- there had been
- had a fable for
- had a good time
- had a handle on
- had a hard time
- had a visual on
- had an accident
- had been around
- had drink taken
- had got a point
- had got it made
- had it going on
- had no business
- had no time for
- had one's moons
- had other ideas
- had the biscuit
- had the drop on
- had the wind up
- have had enough
- you had one job
- you just had to
- had a normal one
- had a quiet word
- had a run for it
- had a thick head
- had a time of it
- had it both ways
- had one's eye on
- had the hots for
- had the pleasure
- so they had said
- had a loose screw
- had a lot of time
- had a screw loose
- had got a face on
- had one more time
- had one's back up
- had one's ears on
- had one's handful
- had one's hump up
- had one's moments
- had one's name on
- had someone there
- had someone's ear
- had someone's six
- had the drains up
- if pigs had wings
- had a bone to pick
- had a crow to pull
- had a few too many
- had a good mind to
- had a short memory
- had a wild hair to
- had one's guard up
- had one's hand out
- had one's heart in
- had one's way with
- had one's Weetabix
- had seen one's day
- had seen this film
- had someone's back
- had someone's head
- had someone's hide
- had the best of it
- had the dirts with
- had the first idea
- had the last laugh
- had the right time
- have had one's day
- had a turtle's head
- had got the face on
- had had one's chips
- had little time for
- had nothing to lose
- had one's head read
- had second thoughts
- had seen this movie
- had someone's blood
- had the painters in
- has had one's chips
- you had to be there
- had a bad time of it
- had a thing going on
- had one's hands full
- had one's name taken
- had sexual relations
- had someone on toast
- had someone's number
- have had one's chips
- had a bun in the oven
- had a good time of it
- had a hard time of it
- had a poor time of it
- had a thin time of it
Words that rhyme with had
Questions about had
- What does had mean?
- Had means used to form the past perfect tense, expressing an action that took place prior to a reference point that is itself in the past.
- How do you use had in a sentence?
- Cooper seems an odd choice, but imagine if they had taken MTV's advice and chosen Robert Pattinson?
- What part of speech is had?
- Had is a verb.
- How do you pronounce had?
- Had is pronounced /hæd/.
Words near had in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: had (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-had.ogg.
Cite this entry: “had.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/had. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.