Being vs. Having — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Being and Having
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Compare with Definitions
Being
In philosophy, being is the material or immaterial existence of a thing. Anything that exists is being.
Having
To be in possession of
Already had a car.
Being
Existence
The railway brought many towns into being
The single market came into being in 1993
Having
To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function
Has a beard.
Had a great deal of energy.
Being
The nature or essence of a person
Sometimes one aspect of our being has been developed at the expense of the others
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Having
To possess or contain as a constituent part
A car that has air bags.
Being
A real or imaginary living creature or entity, especially an intelligent one
A rational being
Alien beings
Having
To occupy a particular relation to
Had many disciples.
Being
The state or quality of having existence
Technical advances that have only recently come into being.
Having
To possess knowledge of or facility in
Has very little Spanish.
Being
The totality of all things that exist
Theologians who hold that the mind of God is the source of all being.
Having
To hold in the mind; entertain
Had doubts about their loyalty.
Being
A person
"The artist after all is a solitary being" (Virginia Woolf).
Having
To use or exhibit in action
Have compassion.
Being
An individual form of life; an organism
"We [humans] are the only beings who are aware that we shall die" (Seyyed Hossein Nasr).
Having
To come into possession of; acquire
Not one copy of the book was to be had in the entire town.
Being
An imaginary, conjectural, or supernatural creature
Extraterrestrial beings.
Having
To receive; get
I had a letter from my cousin.
Being
All the qualities constituting one that exists; the essence
The very being of human nature.
Having
To accept; take
I'll have the peas instead of the spinach.
Being
One's basic or essential nature
"[My grandfather's] face, words and gestures are a permanent part of my being" (Duane Nitatum).
Having
To suffer from
Have defective vision.
Being
Because; since. Often used with as or that.
Having
To be subject to the experience of
Had a difficult time last winter.
Being
Present participle of be
Having
To cause to do something, as by persuasion or compulsion
Had my assistant run the errand.
Being
A living creature.
Having
To cause to be in a specified place or state
Had the guests in the dining room.
Had everyone fascinated.
Being
The state or fact of existence, consciousness, or life, or something in such a state.
Having
To permit; allow
I won't have that kind of behavior in my house.
Being
(philosophy) That which has actuality (materially or in concept).
Having
To carry on, perform, or execute
Have an argument.
Being
(philosophy) One's basic nature, or the qualities thereof; essence or personality.
Having
To place at a disadvantage
Your opponent in the debate had you on every issue.
Being
(obsolete) An abode; a cottage.
Having
(Informal) To get the better of, especially by trickery or deception
They realized too late that they'd been had by a swindler.
Being
Given that; since.
Having
(Informal) To influence by dishonest means; bribe
An incorruptible official who could not be had.
Being
Existing.
A man who is being strangled.
While the article on Burns was being written.
Fresh experience is always being gained.
Having
To procreate (offspring)
Wanted to have a child.
Being
Existence, as opposed to nonexistence; state or sphere of existence.
In Him we live, and move, and have our being.
Having
To give birth to; bear
She's going to have a baby.
Being
That which exists in any form, whether it be material or spiritual, actual or ideal; living existence, as distinguished from a thing without life; as, a human being; spiritual beings.
What a sweet being is an honest mind !
A Being of infinite benevolence and power.
Having
To partake of
Have lunch.
Being
Lifetime; mortal existence.
Claudius, thouWast follower of his fortunes in his being.
Having
To be obliged to; must
We simply have to get there on time.
Being
An abode; a cottage.
It was a relief to dismiss them [Sir Roger's servants] into little beings within my manor.
Having
To engage in sexual intercourse with.
Being
Since; inasmuch as.
And being you haveDeclined his means, you have increased his malice.
Having
Used with a past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses indicating completed action
The troublemaker has gone for good. I regretted that I had lost my temper. They will have finished by the time we arrive.
Being
The state or fact of existing;
A point of view gradually coming into being
Laws in existence for centuries
Having
One enjoying especially material wealth
"The gulf widens between the feast of the haves and the famine of the have-nots" (Salman Rushdie).
Being
A living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently
Having
Present participle of have
Having
The act of possessing; ownership.
Having
Something owned; possession; goods; estate.
Having
(obsolete) A person's behaviour.
Having
Good manners.
Having
(obsolete) Grasping; greedy.
Having
Possession; goods; estate.
I 'll lend you something; my having is not much.
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