DictionaryAI

had

verb
HAD/hæd/

3 meanings of had

Practice

  1. 1
    ownedverb
    Past tense and past participle of have. Use it to talk about owning or experiencing something in the past.

    She had a red bike when she was little.

    They had a great time at the fair.

    UsageHad had is correct English: she had had enough.

    Note
  2. 2
    past perfectverbauxiliary
    Used with another verb to show an action that finished before a moment in the past.

    By the time we got there, the movie had started.

    She had eaten breakfast before the bus came.

    UsageIn speech, had is often shortened to 'd: I'd, they'd. Often used with by the time.

    Note
  3. 3
    verbarchaicauxiliary
    In old-fashioned English, used to mean "would have."
    CAESAR (smiling). Of course I had rather you stayed.
    1898, George Bernard Shaw, Caesar and CleopatraHere, had rather means would rather.
    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 TennysonHere, had been means would have been.
    Note

More uses

had is a form of have

have, verb: To own something, or to hold it or keep it with you so you can use it. Full entry

Forms
havehas he/she/ithaving -ing formhad past tense, past participle
Spelling
have → had: irregular (no -ed)

Use it in a sentence

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Origin

This is the past form of "have." It comes from Old English and older Germanic words meaning "to have."

Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts