have got to

A form of have to — Must; need to; to be urged to; to be required to; indicates obligation.

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Meanings

verbhave got to (third-person singular simple present has got to, present participle having got to, simple past and past participle had got to)

present singular third person has got to · participle present having got to · participle past had got to · past had got to · alternative got to · alternative gotta

  1. alternativeAlternative form of have to (“must”).

    He said he'd got to leave.

    2 more examples

    Haven't you got to finish the essay today?

    Hey, you've got to hide your love away

    1965, “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away”, in John Lennon (lyrics), Help!, performed by the Beatles

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
gottahave to
Cite this entry
APA

have got to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20got%20to

MLA

“have got to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20got%20to. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have got to,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20got%20to.

Source: have got to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.