1 C1 idiomatic informal
(British, informal) To bring someone before a court or authority to face a legal charge.
"He was had up for dangerous driving after the crash on the motorway."
separable
have up
C1 informal separable transitive
(British, informal) To bring someone before a court or authority to face charges.
In plain English
To make someone go to court because they did something wrong.
What does "have up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Usage tip
Chiefly British informal or dated usage. Always used in the passive voice in practice: 'he was had up for theft.' The phrase is often followed by 'for' and the offence. Quite dated and formal registers now prefer 'charged with' or 'prosecuted for.'
Words that pair with "have up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
for theft for speeding for fraud in court before the magistrate
How to conjugate "have up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
have up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
has up
he/she/it
Past simple
had up
yesterday
Past participle
had up
have + pp
-ing form
having up
continuous
Hear "have up" in the wild
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