Word
hasn't
Phoneticshas·nt
Definitions
01auxiliary / helping verb
v. the short way to say 'has not' when talking about an action that happened recently or is still true.
v. the contracted form of 'has not' used as an auxiliary verb in the present perfect tense.
“She hasn't finished her homework yet, so she can't go out.”
“The research team hasn't yet published the full results of the clinical trial, despite significant pressure from the medical community.”
Usage
Used with the past participle of a main verb to form the negative present perfect.
Pitfall
He hasn't went to the store yet.
He hasn't gone to the store yet.
After 'hasn't', always use the past participle (gone) rather than the simple past (went).
Teaching tip
Remind students that this contraction is standard in speech and informal writing, but 'has not' is preferred in formal academic contexts.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02possession
v. the short way to say 'does not have' or 'has not got'.
v. the contracted negative form of the lexical verb 'have' indicating possession or relationship.
“He hasn't a clue what to do next.”
“The old house hasn't the charm it once possessed before the modern renovations were completed.”
British English
Usage
In American English, 'doesn't have' is much more common than 'hasn't' for possession.
Teaching tip
In modern usage, 'hasn't' for possession is often followed by 'got' (e.g., 'He hasn't got a car'). Using 'hasn't' alone for possession sounds very traditional or British.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
has + -n't
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hasnt