I've

¹ American

[ahyv] / aɪv /

contraction of I have.

-ive ² American

a suffix of adjectives (and nouns of adjectival origin) expressing tendency, disposition, function, connection, etc..

active; corrective; destructive; detective; passive; sportive.

-ive ¹ British

suffix

(forming adjectives) indicating a tendency, inclination, character, or quality

divisive
prohibitive
festive
massive
( forming nouns of adjectival origin )

detective
expletive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

I've ² British

/ aɪv /

contraction

I have

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

See contraction.

Etymology

Origin of -ive

< Latin -īvus; in some words, representing French -ive, feminine of -if

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"We've nowhere else to go. This is the only home I've ever known."

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

"I've liked the Argentine team since the Maradona era, and now we have Messi," Muhammad told AFP of his football hero.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

So once bosses incorporate the feedback, they should go back to the individual and ask, “I have been working on your feedback. I’ve changed XX. I’m curious, what have you noticed?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

While I’ve taken traditional glassblowing classes before, this experience felt entirely different.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

The Flash is like any other I’ve had since I was five.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023