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Glite Dictionary
to have company over

to have company over

1 1.8
Invite people to your home to visit or eat
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : recibir visitas
  • We decided to have company over this Saturday for a barbecue in the backyard.

Examples

  • My mother was the same when it came to having company over.

    Blog text (14)

  • - You know, it's too bad we're having company over tonight.

    Stupid Games (2024)

  • Maybe Liz has company over.

    Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea (2024)

  • Have company over.

    Blog text (11)

  • One of the things Violet, Klaus, and Sunny really liked about their parents was that they didn't send their children away when they had company over, but allowed them to join the adults at the dinner table and participate in the conversation as long as they helped clear the table.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • It's always nice to have company over, especially when we can catch up and share stories.

  • Before having company over, I usually make sure the house is clean and tidy.

Synonyms

to invite
vsto have company over
∞ 1.0

To ask someone politely to come or take part in an event

is specifically about hosting guests at home rather than general requests
to host
vsto have company over
466 2.1

To welcome and look after guests at your home or event

is focused on welcoming guests at home for social gatherings
to have company
vsto have company over
49 1.3

To receive guests at your home

stresses hosting at home specifically for social visits or gatherings
to ask over
vsto have company over
  • US
9 3.1

Invite someone to your home for dinner or drinks

is about receiving guests at home rather than the act of asking them
to ask round
vsto have company over
  • UK
4.1

To invite people to your home for a visit or meal

is about welcoming guests rather than the initial invitation step

Antonyms

to send away
43 3.0

Make someone leave a job or group because of a problem

How Social

to entertain
226 2.0
to have company over
1 1.8
to ask over
  • US
9 3.1

Surface Forms

have company over infinitive
having company over present participle
has company over third person singular
had company over past
had company over past participle

Morphology

have + company + over

The meaning is directly inferable from the parts: 'have' (to possess or host) + 'company' (people/social presence) + 'over' (at one's home), so a learner who knows these words can reasonably deduce 'to host guests.' This construction is a common, compositional English pattern (e.g. 'have friends over') and is cross-linguistically transparent, so it should be accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase have company over comes from everyday use of company for 'visitors' and over meaning someone comes to your house. So, to have company over literally means to have people at your home, which is why it means 'to host guests'.