Having

How to spell having

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce having

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does having mean?

1. verbThe present participle of 'have', expressing the ongoing act of possessing, experiencing, or undergoing something.

Having in a sentence

• Having a reliable car makes the long commute far easier.

• She enjoyed having a quiet coffee before the office opened.

Where does having come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is simply the present participle of the verb 'have', which descends from the Old English habban, meaning 'to hold, possess, or own'. That Old English verb came from the same ancient Germanic source that also gave German haben and Dutch hebben, all carrying the core idea of holding something in one's grasp. The -ing ending is a native English suffix used to form present participles and gerunds, turning the action into something ongoing or naming it as an activity. Although 'have' looks related to the Latin habere ('to hold'), scholars believe the resemblance is a coincidence rather than a true family tie, since the two come down through different language branches. The single v and the dropped silent e from 'have' are the only things that trip writers up, since people sometimes wrongly double the v or keep the e.

How the word is built

• have (root verb: to possess or experience)
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)