Also used: have it out for someone
Meaning of Idiom ‘Have It In For Someone’
To have it in for someone means to be determined to criticize, disagree, harm, harass, or simply dislike them; to hold a longstanding grudge against someone; to dislike someone so much that you want to cause some kind of harm to them. 1,2,3
The original idiom is ‘have it in for someone’ but a frequent variation is ‘have it out for someone.’ The latter possibly originated from the related idiom ‘have it out with someone.’
Sentence Examples
“You’ve always had it in for Tucker, just admit it. You’ve hated him ever since he started dating your ex-girlfriend way back in high school.”
“The truth is, she always had it in for me so I’m not surprised she sabotaged my new job.”
“Why does he have it in for me? I haven’t done anything to him.”
“The old man next door has it in for me because I complained about the limbs from his dying tree falling onto my car.”
“I’m not surprised he has it in for me. He was always good at holding grudges.”
“Sean has it out for Mack and is going around telling people he’s going to beat him up.”
Origin
This idiom has been used since the mid-1800s. It may be connected to the idiom ‘have it out with someone.’ However, its origin is unclear.
More Idioms Related to Arguments or Disagreements
References
- (Definition of have it in for someone from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
- Defintion of Have It In For Someone, Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/to-have-it-in-for-someone