have infirm

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "have infirm" is not correct or commonly used in written English.
It is unclear what you are trying to express with this phrase. If you are trying to say that someone has a physical or mental disability, a more commonly used phrase would be "has an infirmity" or "is infirm." Example: "My grandmother has an infirmity that makes it difficult for her to walk."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

If Davis had run the whole shop back then, we wouldn't have infirm ex-N.F.L.ers having to beg for help today.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Matisse had been infirm since undergoing abdominal surgery in 1941, and he spent most of his days in bed or in a wheelchair.

The New Yorker

His lawyer says a recent hip replacement and several subsequent surgeries have left him infirm.

The New York Times

The elderly and the infirm have trouble negotiating crowded sidewalks, and even ministers have to head down to 96th Street to get to their churches across town.

The New York Times

Acton, which is modeling its program on one in nearby Concord, plans to take a complete inventory of each household, keeping track of which families have old or infirm people who would be particularly vulnerable, which families have generators and which have special medical or emergency skills.

The New York Times

Insertions could alternatively occur at random, with subsequent elimination of inserts located in an environment not suitable for proper splicing, or adaptation of the surrounding sequences to improve splicing efficiency; this hypothesis has been infirmed by [52].

Plosone

Nearly all have been aged or infirm parents, who wished to be reunited with their children in West Germany.

The New Yorker

The IOC's hasty and ill-considered directives are legally infirm and have already resulted in an uneven and incomplete response from IFs.

The Guardian - Sport

It seems as though they are thinning the herd of the weak and infirm to have the best shot at survival.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

Instead, they argue, the IOC "issued a confusing patchwork of conflicting and insufficient instructions to international sport federations" that are "legally infirm" and have already resulted in an "uneven and incomplete response from IFs".

The Guardian - Sport

He told the paper that he asked the state to investigate whether Lee was too infirm to have fully consented to the publication plans of Go Set a Watchman.

The Guardian - Books

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Instead of using "have infirm", consider using "is infirm" or "has an infirmity" to correctly convey the meaning of someone suffering from a physical or mental weakness.

Common error

Avoid using "have" directly with "infirm" as it's not grammatically correct. Instead, use a linking verb like "is" or "becomes", or rephrase to "has an infirmity".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "have infirm" is grammatically incorrect and rarely used. Standard English prefers constructions like "is infirm" or "has an infirmity". As Ludwig AI points out, the usage is unclear and does not conform to conventional grammatical patterns.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Wiki

33%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "have infirm" is considered grammatically incorrect in standard English, according to Ludwig AI. It's rare and unclear, with only a single exact example found in the provided sources. To correctly express the intended meaning of someone suffering from weakness or illness, it's best to use phrases like "is infirm" or "has an infirmity". While the sources where the phrase appears are generally authoritative, the phrase itself lacks proper usage and consistency, making it unsuitable for formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

suffer from infirmity

Replaces "have" with "suffer from", focusing on the experience of the infirmity.

be in poor health

Uses a more general term for ill health rather than a specific condition.

be of unsound health

More formal and emphasizes the lack of good health.

be physically weak

Focuses on the physical aspect of being infirm.

be frail

Implies a delicate or weakened state.

experience declining health

Focuses on the process of health deterioration.

be in a debilitated condition

Highlights the weakening effect of a health problem.

labor under an infirmity

Focuses on the burden or struggle caused by the infirmity.

bear an infirmity

Implies enduring or living with the infirmity.

be unwell

A general term indicating sickness or poor health.

FAQs

What's the correct way to use "infirm" in a sentence?

Instead of saying "have infirm", it's more grammatically correct to say "is infirm" or "has an infirmity". For instance, "The patient "is infirm"" or "The patient has a serious "infirmity"".

What does it mean when someone is described as "infirm"?

When someone is described as "infirm", it means they are weak, feeble, or in poor health, often due to old age or illness.

What are some alternatives to saying someone "has infirm"?

Instead of "have infirm", you can say someone "is frail", "is weak", or "has an infirmity".

Is it ever correct to say "have infirm"?

No, the phrase "have infirm" is not grammatically correct in standard English. It's better to use phrases like ""is infirm"" or "has an infirmity".