haul
Americanverb (used with object)
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to pull or draw with force; move by drawing; drag.
They hauled the boat up onto the beach.
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to cart or transport; carry.
The locomotive hauled freight over the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming.
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to lower; cause to descend (often followed bydown ).
As the students gathered around the flagpole, the school custodian hauled down the flag.
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to bring before an authority (often followed by before, in, to, into, etc.).
He was hauled before the judge.
She hauled me into the principal’s office.
verb (used without object)
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to pull or tug with force or effort.
The sailors hauled on the oars as hard as they could.
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to go or come to a place, especially with effort.
After much carousing in the streets, they finally hauled into the tavern.
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to cart or transport, or to move freight commercially.
Ours is one of many Canadian trucking companies hauling south of the border.
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Nautical.
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to sail, as in a particular direction.
They sailed to the west of Corsica, and then hauled south again.
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to draw or pull a vessel up on land, as for repairs or storage.
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(of the wind) to shift to a direction closer to the heading of a vessel (opposed to veer).
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(of the wind) to change direction, shift, or veer (often followed by round orto ).
During the early morning hours the wind hauled northward and increased in intensity, with accompanying heavy seas.
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noun
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a strong pull or tug.
He felt a sudden haul on the other end of the rope.
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an act or instance of transporting something, or the load or quantity transported.
You have so little stuff to move, I can probably do it in two hauls with my pickup.
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the distance or route over which anything is transported or carried.
I’ve been using this truck for a year now on a weekly 30-mile haul.
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Fishing.
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the quantity of fish taken at one draft of the net.
We got such a huge haul of fish that we could hardly carry them home.
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the draft of a fishing net.
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the place where a seine is hauled.
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the act of taking or acquiring something, or something taken or acquired.
The thieves' haul included several valuable paintings.
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Digital Technology. a video, photo, or report of something taken or acquired.
He shops the flea markets over the weekend and then posts his haul on Monday afternoon.
verb phrase
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haul up
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to bring before a superior for judgment or reprimand; call to account.
They were hauled up on a drug trafficking charge.
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to come to a halt; stop.
As night was falling we finally hauled up at an old farmhouse owned by a friendly couple.
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Nautical. to change the course of (a sailing vessel) so as to sail closer to the wind.
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Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to come closer to the wind.
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Nautical. (of a vessel) to come to a halt.
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haul off
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Nautical. to change a ship's course so as to get farther off from an object.
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to withdraw; leave.
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Informal. to draw back the arm in order to strike; prepare to deal a blow.
He hauled off and struck the insolent lieutenant a blow to the chin.
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idioms
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haul / shag ass, to get a move on; hurry.
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haul in with, to approach.
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haul around,
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to brace (certain yards of a sailing vessel).
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(of the wind) to change in a clockwise direction.
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verb
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to drag or draw (something) with effort
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(tr) to transport, as in a lorry
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nautical to alter the course of (a vessel), esp so as to sail closer to the wind
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(tr) nautical to draw or hoist (a vessel) out of the water onto land or a dock for repair, storage, etc
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(intr) nautical (of the wind) to blow from a direction nearer the bow Compare veer 1
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(intr) to change one's opinion or action
noun
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the act of dragging with effort
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(esp of fish) the amount caught at a single time
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something that is hauled
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the goods obtained from a robbery
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a distance of hauling
a three-mile haul
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the amount of a contraband seizure
arms haul
drugs haul
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in a future time
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over a lengthy period of time
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Synonym Usage
See draw.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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haulsimple
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haulssimple
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have hauledperfect
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has hauledperfect
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am haulingprogressive
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are haulingprogressive
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is haulingprogressive
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have been haulingperfect progressive
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has been haulingperfect progressive
Past
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hauledsimple
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had hauledperfect
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was haulingprogressive
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were haulingprogressive
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had been haulingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of haul
First recorded in 1550–60; earlier hall, variant of hale 2
Explanation
To haul is to move or take something, usually big and heavy, and put it somewhere else. If you've ever moved to a new house, then you know that having to haul all your stuff there can really take the joy out of moving into a new place. You'll want to reserve haul for situations in which carrying something takes a lot of effort and ain't a lot of fun. You don't haul a sack of feathers, for example. You haul a bag of boulders, or a box of books. Haul is usually a verb, but you can also use it as a noun, when you're talking about lot of something that you caught or won. We went digging for clams—look at our haul! After winning at blackjack, take your haul and hit the road. Don't risk losing it all on roulette.
Vocabulary lists containing haul
"The War of the Wall" by Toni Cade Bambara
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Charlotte's Web
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The Circuit
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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.
See Examples For:
Bass’ fundraising haul came from celebrities, politicians and business leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Over the long haul, this procedural streamlining will benefit both parties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Pre-sales for the film, which stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, have been robust, and industry tracking estimates an opening weekend haul of at least $195 million in the U.S. and Canada.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Fifth place went Universal's "Minions & Monsters," with $9.6 million, for a total global haul of $381 million.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
I haul my body into a sitting position and lean against the wall.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
When drawing comparisons with Norway, it cannot be overstated how the outrageous Haaland hauls them up a fair bit.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Robinson and Gus Atkinson both took five-wicket hauls during the match and are very skilled operators.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
It serves mainly industrial customers and hauls goods over relatively short distances.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Once they’ve reached their capacity of about 20,000 pounds, a boat hauls everything to the harbor and a crane scoops it out in nets.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Once I’ve stopped and wound the window down, she hauls in her breath and says, “Glad I caught you—there’s a job got called in for you last night, Ed. It sounded personal.”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Workers hauled 150 truckloads of the soil 2 miles away, to East Potomac Golf Links, where it currently sits in a large mound on one of the site’s nine-hole courses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Bodies were carried out by volunteers without specialised equipment, being hauled into cars and vans.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
The carrier that hauled the cargo away had presented what appeared to be legitimate credentials and the truck appeared to be headed to Kentucky before the company lost communication with the truck, according to authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
After spending the last three weeks in the top spot, the animated sequel from Universal and Illumination Studios has hauled in over $775 million at the global box office, Exhibitor Relations reported.
From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026
Like sailors hoisting a mighty sail, burly stagehands hauled thick ropes hand over hand to roll back the stage curtain, and the performance began.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
"Instead, this suggests the stone was likely moved in stages, potentially combining overland hauling with river or coastal transport where possible."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
And a $10 charge for trash hauling and $15 for valet trash service, on top of several other fees.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
After taking charge in October in the aftermath of Russell Martin's short and tumultuous reign, Rohl received plenty of praise for hauling Rangers into the race.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
His job mainly involves hauling sand and stone on short journeys around Beijing, Zhang told AFP, noting that the truck is not suited for longer shipments.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
We passed lots of Basques with oxen, or cattle, hauling carts along the road, and nice farmhouses, low roofs, and all white-plastered.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
