have a go

phraseB22 meaningsinformal · an editor’s judgementNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To have a go is to make an attempt at something. Not expecting to succeed — trying anyway.

It is warm and encouraging, and telling somebody to have a go is one of the friendliest things in British English. It takes at. There is a second and quite different sense, since having a go at somebody means criticising them angrily, and only the tone and the object tell you which you are hearing. A have-a-go hero is a member of the public who tackles a criminal.

Definitions of have a go

1phrasehave a goTo make an attempt at something.B2
“Do have a go, it is easier than it looks.”
2phrasecriticiseTo criticise somebody angrily.C1
“She will have a go at anybody who parks there.”

← Vocabulary

have a go

phraseB22 meaningsinformal · an editor’s judgementNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To have a go is to make an attempt at something. Not expecting to succeed — trying anyway.

Definitions of have a go

1phrasehave a goTo make an attempt at something.B2
“Do have a go, it is easier than it looks.”
2phrasecriticiseTo criticise somebody angrily.C1
“She will have a go at anybody who parks there.”