had breakfast with

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had breakfast with" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe the act of sharing a breakfast meal with someone. Example: "I had breakfast with my friend at the new café downtown."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"I had breakfast with him.

The New York Times

"I had breakfast with Pinchuk.

The New York Times

One day, I had breakfast with Streb.

The New Yorker

I had breakfast with Jeff Sluman.

The New York Times - Sports

But I'd never had breakfast with a penguin.

The New York Times - Travel

I actually had breakfast with King a couple of times.

The Guardian - Arts

President Nixon had breakfast with Governor Rockefeller of New York.

The New York Times

More recently, he had breakfast with Senator Barack Obama.

The New Yorker

"I had breakfast with mine today," Mr. Bush said.

The New York Times

He had breakfast with Ms. Bachelet at his mansion on Monday morning.

The New York Times

I've had breakfast with these men, and wondered whether they would be alive at lunchtime.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about formal events, consider using "breakfasted with" for a more sophisticated tone.

Common error

Ensure you use the correct tense of "have" based on the timeline of your writing. For instance, use "had breakfast with" for past events and "having breakfast with" for ongoing or future events.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had breakfast with" functions as a verb phrase indicating the action of sharing a morning meal with someone. Ludwig AI shows numerous examples in various contexts, confirming its straightforward usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

80%

Academia

10%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Reference

1%

Science

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had breakfast with" is a very common and grammatically correct phrase used to describe the action of sharing a morning meal with someone. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, the phrase typically functions to report a social interaction, most frequently found in News & Media. While versatile, its register is generally neutral, suitable for both formal and informal settings. When writing, be mindful of using the correct tense and consider alternatives such as "shared breakfast with" or "met for breakfast with" to add variety to your writing. Avoid using the article "a" before "breakfast" unless you're referring to a very specific breakfast event.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

ate breakfast with

A more direct and simple way to state the action.

shared breakfast with

Emphasizes the act of sharing the meal.

met for breakfast with

Highlights the meeting aspect of having breakfast.

enjoyed breakfast with

Focuses on the enjoyment of the meal and company.

took breakfast with

A slightly more formal alternative.

joined for breakfast with

Highlights the act of joining someone.

sat down for breakfast with

Emphasizes the act of sitting down together.

breakfasted with

A more formal or literary way of saying "had breakfast with".

had a morning meal with

Replaces "breakfast" with a more generic term.

broke bread with in the morning

An idiomatic expression emphasizing camaraderie.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "had breakfast with"?

You can use alternatives like "shared breakfast with", "ate breakfast with", or "met for breakfast with" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "had a breakfast with"?

While grammatically understandable, it's more common and natural to say "had breakfast with" without the article "a". Using the article implies a specific or unique breakfast event.

What is the difference between "had breakfast with" and "had lunch/dinner with"?

"Had breakfast with", "had lunch with", and "had dinner with" simply refer to sharing different meals with someone. The distinction lies in the time of day the meal is consumed.

How to use "had breakfast with" in a sentence?

You can use "had breakfast with" to indicate you shared a morning meal with someone, for example, "I "had breakfast with" my colleague to discuss the project."