Those who are deprived of or lacking in material wealth; the lower class or the poor. Used especially in juxtaposition to "the haves," i.e., the wealthy. The politician ran on a platform of educating and empowering the have-nots across the country. I come from a long line of have-nots, so I vowed at a young age to do whatever it took to become successful and wealthy. In the corrupt country, there are only two types of people—the haves and the have-nots.