Meaning & use
have a life
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
To have interests, friends and activities outside work or one obsession.
Grammar: Verb changes: she has a life, they had a life.
Patterns
- have a life outside something
- get a life
He works so much that he barely has a life.
I want to have a life outside the office.
Do you ever have a life, or only study?
phraseidiomdisapproving
Used as a rude command telling someone to stop being boring or focus on something more worthwhile.
Grammar: Often in the form get a life, as an imperative.
Patterns
- get a life
Stop reading my posts and get a life.
Someone told him to have a life.
Honestly, have a life, it's just a TV show.
Word forms
| third person singular | has a life |
|---|---|
| past tense | had a life |
| -ing form | having a life |
Common combinations
- have a life outside work
- She tries to have a life outside work.
- get a life
- He told me to get a life.
- barely have a life
- I barely have a life during exams.
- have a social life
- Do you have a social life?
Synonyms and how they differ
- get a life
- Get a life is nearly identical but is more commonly used as an insult.
- live a little
- Live a little is friendlier and suggests loosening up.
- have interests
- Have interests is neutral and can be used in formal contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- life noun
- the experience of living
- lifestyle noun
- way of living
- social life noun
- time spent with friends
- work-life balance noun
- balance between job and personal time
Commonly confused: have a life or have a live?
have a life vs have a live
Live is the adjective or verb, but the noun is life with a f sound; have a life is correct.
Practice
'I don't have a life since I started that job' means ___.
Choose one answer.
The idiom means having no activities outside one demand, not literal death or distance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “have a life”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.