Meanings
- People who already have wealth and status are the most likely to acquire additional wealth and status (usually with the implication that the distribution of life's benefits and opportunities is unfair).
In the great capitalist tradition of "those who have, get," Vanderbilt's investment today returns rich dividends to his grandsons.
1978 January 1, Sarah Booth Conroy, “Of Kingdoms, Principalities and Carolina Castles”, in Washington Post, retrieved 21 Jul 20153 more examples
You may have heard the old adage about "those that have, get," and it is true. . . . The getting started on money-making is the hardest part.
1917, Alice Walton, “Fortuna's Daughters”, in Good Housekeeping, volume 65, number 3, page 90Those that have, get. For lending their status to Fashion Week events, the rich and the famous scored, among other things, $225 jeans and coupons for $200 PuchiBags for their pets.
2005 September 17, Carol E. Lee, “In Lieu of a Gift Bag, Send Donations to...”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Jul 2015In other words, “the rich get richer” or “those that have, get” (indeed, distribution of wealth in America follows a scale-free organization).
2008, Andrew P. Smith, The Dimensions Of Experience, →ISBN, page 279Synonyms: the rich get richer
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbPeople who already have wealth and status are the most likely to acquire additional wealth and status (usually with the implication that the distribution of life's benefits and opportunities is unfair).
Cite this entry
those that have, get. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/those%20that%20have%2C%20get
“those that have, get.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/those%20that%20have%2C%20get. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “those that have, get,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/those%20that%20have%2C%20get.
Source: those that have, get on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.