haul

American  

[hawl] / hɔl /

verb (used with object)

1. to pull or draw with force; move by drawing; drag.

   They hauled the boat up onto the beach.

2. to cart or transport; carry.

   The locomotive hauled freight over the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming.

3. to lower; cause to descend (often followed bydown ).

   As the students gathered around the flagpole, the school custodian hauled down the flag.

4. 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)

1. to pull or tug with force or effort.

   The sailors hauled on the oars as hard as they could.

2. to go or come to a place, especially with effort.

   After much carousing in the streets, they finally hauled into the tavern.

3. to cart or transport, or to move freight commercially.

   Ours is one of many Canadian trucking companies hauling south of the border.

4. Nautical.

   1. to sail, as in a particular direction.

      They sailed to the west of Corsica, and then hauled south again.

   2. to draw or pull a vessel up on land, as for repairs or storage.

   3. (of the wind) to shift to a direction closer to the heading of a vessel (opposed to veer).

   4. (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.

noun

1. a strong pull or tug.

   He felt a sudden haul on the other end of the rope.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Fishing.

   1. 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.

   2. the draft of a fishing net.

   3. the place where a seine is hauled.

5. the act of taking or acquiring something, or something taken or acquired.

   The thieves' haul included several valuable paintings.

6. 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

1. haul up

   1. to bring before a superior for judgment or reprimand; call to account.

      They were hauled up on a drug trafficking charge.

   2. to come to a halt; stop.

      As night was falling we finally hauled up at an old farmhouse owned by a friendly couple.

   3. Nautical. to change the course of (a sailing vessel) so as to sail closer to the wind.

   4. Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to come closer to the wind.

   5. Nautical. (of a vessel) to come to a halt.

2. haul off

   1. Nautical. to change a ship's course so as to get farther off from an object.

   2. to withdraw; leave.

   3. 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.

idioms

1. haul / shag ass, to get a move on; hurry.

2. haul in with, to approach.

3. haul around,

   1. to brace (certain yards of a sailing vessel).

   2. (of the wind) to change in a clockwise direction.

haul British  

/ hɔːl /

verb

1. to drag or draw (something) with effort

2. (tr) to transport, as in a lorry

3. nautical to alter the course of (a vessel), esp so as to sail closer to the wind

4. (tr) nautical to draw or hoist (a vessel) out of the water onto land or a dock for repair, storage, etc

5. (intr) nautical (of the wind) to blow from a direction nearer the bow Compare veer 1

6. (intr) to change one's opinion or action

---

noun

1. the act of dragging with effort

2. (esp of fish) the amount caught at a single time

3. something that is hauled

4. the goods obtained from a robbery

5. a distance of hauling

   a three-mile haul

6. the amount of a contraband seizure

   arms haul

   drugs haul

7. 1. in a future time

   2. over a lengthy period of time

haul More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing haul

• long haul
• rake (haul) over the coals

---

Related Words

See draw.

Other Word Forms

• rehaul
  verb
• unhauled
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Of that haul, $60,000 came in the form of a loan from Raman to her campaign.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

Her fundraising haul is a fraction of the size of her competitor’s.

From Slate • May 22, 2026

The fuel powers the tractor-trailers and many of the freight trains that haul the goods and foods that end up on store shelves.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

At the time, SpaceX was basically a trucking business that charged governments and private companies to haul stuff into orbit.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Caroline grabs him by the sleeve and tries to haul him onto the game, but she doesn’t make much progress.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• bring
• carry
• cart
• drag
• heave
• hoist
• lift
• lug
• pack
• rake
• remove
• ride
• tote
• tow
• transport