Colloquial Variant guide

've

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /v/ postvocalic
  • /əv/ postconsonantal
  • /ə/ postconsonantal
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: of (postconsonantal 've only, unstressed of only)

1

verb

Meaning 1

Have (in its sense marking the perfect or retrospective aspect).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: clitic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

Have (in its other uses).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: clitic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Contraction of have.