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Glite Dictionary
to have to do with

to have to do with

∞ 2.7
To be about something or connected to it
  • phrasal verb
: tener que ver con
  • The changes in weather have to do with the seasons affecting agriculture.
  • has to do with the reason
  • has to do with the fact
  • has to do with the explanation

That's all we have to do with TV.

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Examples

  • One reason has to do with the rise of social media.

  • "Do you really think this has to do with us and with our job?"

    Fiction book (1990)

  • But does that have to do with most people with back pain?

  • What does that have to do with us?

    Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)

  • No, there are lots of reasons, none of which have to do with you.

    My Old Ass (2024)

  • A further piece of the puzzle has to do with social class.

    Academic text (2011)

  • What does the literary project have to do with other kinds of work?

  • And the reason I say that has to do with actual fundamentals.

    Meet Kevin

  • Part of process theory has to do with people's expectations about the results of their behaviors.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Many factors have to do with the success of a business.

Synonyms

to concern
vsto have to do with
418 2.1

To be about someone or something

is more general and does not stress who is affected
to relate
vsto have to do with
293 2.2

To be connected or important to something

is the common everyday phrase with the same general meaning
to pertain
vsto have to do with
96 4.6

To be about or connected with something

is more neutral and less formal for the same relation
to bear on
vsto have to do with
61 5.1

To be connected with or affect something

focuses on relation without implying it has an effect
to correlate
vsto have to do with
48 5.8

To show that two things change together

describes a simple connection that need not be mutual
to tie in
vsto have to do with
33 4.1

To connect to another idea or fact in a clear way

is broader and can mean any simple connection not only logical
to refer
vsto have to do with
12 3.0

Be about something or have a direct connection to it

is wider and covers general connection not only direct pointing

Antonyms

irrelevance
10 5.3

Something not related to the main topic

disconnection
8 4.2

Being separate from people, things, or contact, for example losing internet

How Related

to relate
293 2.2
to concern
418 2.1
to have to do with
∞ 2.7
to refer
669 2.4
to mention
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

have to do with infinitive
had to do with past
had to do with past participle
having to do with present participle
has to do with third person singular

Morphology

have + to + do + with

The meaning 'to be connected with' is directly derivable from combining 'have' (possess/relate) with the light-verb phrase 'to do with' (concerning/related to); the parts transparently signal a relation rather than an unpredictable idiom. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g., Spanish tener que ver con, German mit ... zu tun haben) and its regular compositional pattern make this understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Have to do with comes from the simple image of one thing having to do with another; if they 'do' something together, they are linked. So, it means 'to be connected with'.