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Glite Dictionary
to have on

to have on

446 1.0
To wear clothes or accessories
  • phrasal verb
  • /hæv ɑn/
translation icon : llevar puesto
  • She had on a beanie, she had on a scarf, but that was it.
  • have on a dress

Why the freak do I have mittens on Daddy?

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Examples

  • That's a nice dress you have on.

    A Man for All Seasons (1966)

  • And I just want to have a wedding dress on.

    Eggshells (1971)

  • But this morning I did wake up and Julian had on his Christmas pants.

  • Imagine that I also have a purple skirt on for other reasons.

  • You better have on some skims under there.

  • And you don't even have your wedding ring on.

    Bad Boys (1995)

  • She always has on her favorite red dress when she goes out.

  • During the winter, he has on a thick coat and gloves to stay warm.

  • On the beach, they have on colorful swimsuits and sun hats.

Synonyms

to wear
vsto have on
∞ 1.0

Have clothes, jewelry, or accessories on your body

is the two-word informal phrase used in everyday speech instead of the single verb

Antonyms

to take off
∞ 1.5

To remove clothes or something from your body

undressed
  • NSFW
1.9

A person who is not wearing any clothes

How Dressed

to have on
446 1.0

Surface Forms

have on infinitive
had on past
had on past participle
having on present participle
has on third person singular

Morphology

have + on

The meaning 'to be wearing' follows directly from combining 'have' (to possess or hold) with the spatial preposition 'on' (located on the body): to 'have something on' = to have it on your person, i.e. to wear it. This is a regular compositional pattern that B1 learners who know both constituents can readily infer.

Etymology

Have on comes from a simple image: you literally have something on your body when a coat or hat sits on you. So it means 'to be wearing' a piece of clothing or an accessory.