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Glite Dictionary
to have it in for

to have it in for

21 8.4
To keep being angry with someone and try to harm or blame them
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : tenerle manía a
  • He seems to have it in for anyone who disagrees with him.
  • really has it in for
  • have it in for a guy
  • always have it in for

The cops had it in for him because he did it.

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Examples

  • After the incident, she felt that the manager really had it in for her.

  • Evan Gratton had it in for both Patrick Zelman and Renee LeFleur.

    Burbiszki (2020)

  • And every fight I ever had was against someone I thought had it in for me.

    Ezra (2024)

  • Or maybe God just had it in for us.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Naturally, I had it in for these people.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Kansas has had it in for me for 10 years.

    Capote (2005)

  • He thought everybody had it in for him.

    His Stretch of Texas Ground (2021)

  • He has it in for me.

    A Plumm Summer (2008)

  • From then on, Val had it in for me.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Arnold had it in for me ever since I shamed him at a school board meeting.

    Fiction book (2001)

Synonyms

to hold a grudge
vsto have it in for
  • Informal
42 4.8

To feel angry at someone for something they did in the past that hurt you

is actively hostile and often tries to harm or criticize that person

Antonyms

to forgive
∞ 1.4

To stop feeling angry at someone or yourself for a mistake

friendly
773 1.0

Kind and helpful toward other people

How Hostile

to hold a grudge
  • Informal
42 4.8
to have it in for
  • Informal
21 8.4
annoyed
77 1.0
dislike
  • Texting
49 1.0

Surface Forms

have it in for infinitive
had it in for past
had it in for past participle
having it in for present participle
has it in for third person singular

Morphology

have + it + in + for

The construction contains a dummy pronoun 'it' and a prepositional sequence ('in for') whose literal meanings do not combine to yield 'be hostile toward someone'. A B1 learner who knows 'have', 'it', 'in', and 'for' would not reliably infer the idiomatic sense without prior exposure, so the expression is language-specific and unpredictable.

Etymology

Have it in for may come from the image of carrying it (a small anger) in you and pointing it for someone. So to have it in for someone means to be 'hostile' or to 'hold a grudge' and want to hurt or make trouble for them.