Complete Guide to Collocations with Have: Master Essential English Phrases

Meaning of Have

Example

to own

Do you have a house? 

to perform the action mentioned

Anna has dinner at 8 PM. 

to eat or drink something

Can I have a cup of coffee as well? 

to be ill

I have a headache. 

to experience something

Jennie had such a tough day. 

No

Collocation

Meaning

Example

1

have a car

to own or possess a vehicle

I have a car so I can drive you there

2

have a house

to own or live in a home

They have a house in the suburbs

3

have money

to possess financial resources

I don't have money for expensive restaurants

4

have a friend

to know someone as a friend

I have a friend who works in marketing

5

have a family

to have relatives or dependents

He has a family to support

6

have a pet

to own an animal companion

We have a pet dog named Max

7

have a job

to be employed in work

She has a job at the local hospital

8

have experience

to possess knowledge from past events

I have experience in project management

9

have skills

to possess particular abilities

He has skills in computer programming

10

have qualifications

to possess formal credentials

You need to have qualifications for this position

No

Collocation

Meaning

Example

11

have breakfast/lunch/dinner

to eat a meal

I have breakfast at seven every morning

12

have a meeting

to attend or conduct a scheduled discussion

I have a meeting with the design team at 3 PM

13

have a party

to organize or attend a social celebration

We're having a party for Sarah's birthday

14

have a vacation/holiday

to take time off for rest and recreation

I'm having a vacation in Thailand next month

15

have fun

to enjoy yourself doing something

Have fun at the party tonight

16

have a good time

to enjoy yourself

I had a good time at the conference yesterday

17

have a break

to stop working temporarily to rest

Let's have a break and continue after lunch

18

have a rest

to relax or sleep

You should have a rest after working so hard

19

have a nap

to sleep for a short time

I like to have a nap after lunch

20

have a shower/bath

to wash yourself

I need to have a shower before going out

21

have a meal

to eat food

We're having a meal at the new restaurant

22

have a snack

to eat a small amount of food

I usually have a snack in the afternoon

No

Collocation

Meaning

Example

23

have a headache

to experience pain in your head

I have a headache from staring at the screen

24

have a cold

to be ill with a common respiratory infection

I have a cold so I'm staying home today

25

have the flu

to be ill with influenza

She had the flu and missed work for a week

26

have a fever

to have a higher than normal body temperature

My son has a fever so we're seeing the doctor

27

have an operation

to undergo surgery

He's having an operation on his knee

28

have an accident

to experience an unexpected harmful event

She had an accident on the way to work

29

have a checkup

to have a medical examination

I have a checkup with my doctor next week

30

have a toothache

to experience pain in your teeth

I have a toothache and need to see the dentist

31

have back pain

to experience discomfort in your back

I have back pain from sitting too long

32

have allergies

to suffer from allergic reactions

I have allergies to certain foods

No

Collocation

Meaning

Example

33

have a conversation

to talk with someone

I had a conversation with my manager about the project

34

have a chat

to have an informal conversation

Let's have a chat over coffee sometime

35

have a talk

to have a serious conversation

The teacher wants to have a talk with you

36

have a discussion

to talk about something seriously

Let's have a discussion about the budget

37

have a debate

to argue about different opinions

The students had a debate about climate change

38

have an argument

to disagree strongly with someone

We had an argument about the deadline

39

have an interview

to be questioned for a job or information

I have an interview tomorrow morning

40

have a phone call

to speak with someone by telephone

I need to have a phone call with the client

No

Collocation

Meaning

Example

41

have a walk

to go for a walk

Let's have a walk in the park

42

have a swim

to go swimming

I have a swim every morning at the pool

43

have a run

to go running

I have a run before work each day

44

have a dance

to dance

Would you like to have a dance

45

have a drink

to consume a beverage

Would you like to have a drink with us

46

have a laugh

to laugh or find something amusing

We had a laugh about the situation

47

have a game

to play a game

Let's have a game of tennis this weekend

48

have a picnic

to eat outdoors

We're having a picnic in the park tomorrow

No

Collocation

Meaning

Example

49

have a cry

to weep or feel sad

Sometimes you just need to have a cry

50

have a dream

to experience images and feelings while sleeping

I had a dream about flying last night

51

have a nightmare

to experience a frightening dream

The child had a nightmare about monsters

52

have doubts

to feel uncertain about something

I have doubts about this decision

53

have confidence

to feel sure about your abilities

She has confidence in her presentation skills

54

have hope

to feel optimistic about the future

We have hope that things will improve

55

have patience

to be able to wait calmly

You need to have patience when learning languages

1 - A

2 - B

3 - A

4 - C

5 - B