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Glite Dictionary
to have work done

to have work done

2 3.8
Get a professional to do a job for you
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : hacer trabajos
  • I decided to have work done on my old car to improve its performance.

I'm told that when I went to have work done in my house that the, the top stone workers, the top tile setters were all Ukrainian.

Examples

  • She plans to have work done on her house to renovate the kitchen.

  • My friend had some mech work done here.

    Ghost in the Shell (2017)

  • Coniston and North Road will have work done later today.

    Blog text (2)

  • I've personally had work done by Infamous Graphics, and my experience was great.

    Blog text (6)

  • I'm told that when I went to have work done in my house that the, the top stone workers, the top tile setters were all Ukrainian.

    Tom Bilyeu

  • It is nearly impossible anymore to have work done on your house—roof, fence, renovations—and have anyone on the job speak English.

    Blog text (13)

  • Many homeowners choose to have work done by professionals to ensure quality results.

Synonyms

to have
vsto have work done
∞ 1.0

To arrange something or cause it to happen

focuses on hiring an external professional for specific tasks
to have in
vsto have work done
  • UK
210 4.5

Ask someone like a plumber to come to your home to do a job

is broader, covering arranging tasks not limited to on premises visits
to delegate
vsto have work done
45 3.7

To give a job and authority to someone so they do it for you

involves arranging paid professional services rather than assigning duties internally
to subcontract
vsto have work done
  • Specialized
9 5.9

To hire another company to do part of a contract you must do

covers arranging simple service jobs, not only contractual reassignment
to farm out
vsto have work done
7 4.9

To pay another person or company to do work for you

involves arranging for a service, not just outsourcing by contract
to job
vsto have work done
  • UK
7.4

To hire another company to do work for you

arrange for a professional service rather than only contractors

Antonyms

do-it-yourself
35 3.6

Made or fixed by yourself instead of a professional

How Delegated

to hire
∞ 1.4
to have work done
2 3.8

Surface Forms

have work done infinitive
having work done present participle
has work done third person singular
had work done past
had work done past participle

Morphology

have + work + done

The parts 'have' (cause/arrange), 'work' (task) and 'done' (completed) together suggest causing a task to be completed, so there is a clear compositional link. However, the specific grammatical pattern 'have + object + past-participle' meaning 'arrange for someone else to do something' is a syntactic/causative construction that B1 learners may not predict from the words alone without exposure, so partial knowledge of the construction is required.

Etymology

Have work done comes from the simple image of hiring someone to do a job: you have the work done by another person. So it means 'arrange for someone else to do a task', often a skilled or professional job.