haul

[ hawl ]

/ hɔl /

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See synonyms for: haul / hauled / hauling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to pull or draw with force; move by drawing; drag: They hauled the boat up onto the beach.

to cart or transport; carry: The locomotive hauled freight over the Wasatch Mountains between Ogden, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming.

to lower; cause to descend (often followed by down): As the school gathered round the flagpole, the school custodian hauled down the flag.

to arrest or bring before a magistrate or other authority (often followed by before, in, to, into, etc.): He was hauled before the judge.

verb (used without object)

to pull or tug.

to go or come to a place, especially with effort: After roistering about the streets, they finally hauled into the tavern.

to do carting or transport, or move freight commercially.

Nautical.

to sail, as in a particular direction.
to draw or pull a vessel up on land, as for repairs or storage.
(of the wind) to shift to a direction closer to the heading of a vessel (opposed to veer).
(of the wind) to change direction, shift, or veer (often followed by round or to).

noun

an act or instance of hauling; a strong pull or tug.

something that is hauled.

the load hauled at one time; quantity carried or transported.

the distance or route over which anything is hauled.

Fishing.

the quantity of fish taken at one draft of the net.
the draft of a fishing net.
the place where a seine is hauled.

the act of taking or acquiring something.

something that is taken or acquired: The thieves' haul included several valuable paintings.

Verb Phrases

haul off,

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

haul up,

to bring before a superior for judgment or reprimand; call to account.
to come to a halt; stop.
Nautical. to change the course of (a sailing vessel) so as to sail closer to the wind.
Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to come closer to the wind.
Nautical. (of a vessel) to come to a halt.

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Idioms about haul

haul around, Nautical.

to brace (certain yards of a sailing vessel).
(of the wind) to change in a clockwise direction.

haul in with, Nautical. to approach.

haul / shag ass, Slang: Vulgar. to get a move on; hurry.

Origin of haul

First recorded in 1550–60; earlier hall, variant of hale²

synonym study for haul

1. See draw.

OTHER WORDS FROM haul

re·haul, verbun·hauled, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH haul

hall, haul

Words nearby haul

haugh, Haughey, haughtiness, haughty, Hauhau, haul, haulage, haulageway, haulback, hauler, haulier

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use haul in a sentence

Lower tax hauls from sales and personal income alone, according to recent projections, could cost state governments anywhere from $106 billion to $125 billion in fiscal year 2021, which began on July 1 in 46 states.
COVID-19 has another long-term side effect: A shrinking tax base|cleaf2013|August 31, 2020|Fortune
Meanwhile, Kyle Abbott, the Hampshire fast bowler who’s second on the county bowling charts in the same period, made history last September with a match haul of 17 wickets for 86 runs — the best figures returned by any bowler in more than 60 years.
Guess Who’s Cheering for Brexit? South African Cricket|Charu Kasturi|August 12, 2020|Ozy
However, working from home when there are no other options and everyone is doing it is vastly different from working remotely for the long haul.
How to retool remote work for the long haul|Brian Dolan|July 13, 2020|Quartz
Long haul trucks spend the vast majority of their time on highways, and highways are simpler to navigate than city streets.
TuSimple’s Robot Big Rigs Will Automate Freight Coast to Coast|Jason Dorrier|July 5, 2020|Singularity Hub

While this may mark the end of many long haul driver jobs, TuSimple and others argue there’s already a shortage of drivers that will only grow in the future.
TuSimple’s Robot Big Rigs Will Automate Freight Coast to Coast|Jason Dorrier|July 5, 2020|Singularity Hub
Amazing how people can still haul this one out with a straight face.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Botala remembers that the rebels would pull into the island, loot what they could, and then take the haul back to Stanleyville.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For her part, Justice Ginsburg appears to be in for the long docket haul, no matter what they say.
Justice Ginsburg Shouldn’t Quit Just Yet|Kevin Bleyer|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But on an A380 or 787 Dreamliner flying long haul, you can be trapped, rigid, in that seat for half a day.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room|Clive Irving|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Probably for the best—Disney is known for getting into legal battles for the long haul.
When the Religious Right Attacked ‘The Little Mermaid’|Asawin Suebsaeng|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No doubt he is,” replied Sam; “but how will you manage to haul him up and prove that he has been swindling the old woman?
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
But the artillerymen believed that it was impossible to construct a road to haul guns up to this height.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
The guns often sank almost to the trunnions; many a time the infantry had to help elephants and bullocks to haul them out.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
A dead man came past their vessel; they lowered the boat, and proceeded to haul the clothes off the corpse.
The Chequers|James Runciman
There was another road into the valley—a public road—but it was a fifteen-mile haul.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland

British Dictionary definitions for haul

haul

/ (hɔːl) /

verb

to drag or draw (something) with effort

(tr) to transport, as in a lorry

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

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

(intr) nautical (of the wind) to blow from a direction nearer the bowCompare veer 1 (def. 3b)

(intr) to change one's opinion or action

noun

the act of dragging with effort

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

something that is hauled

the goods obtained from a robbery

a distance of haulinga three-mile haul

the amount of a contraband seizurearms haul; drugs haul

in the long haul or over the long haul

in a future time
over a lengthy period of time

Word Origin for haul

C16: from Old French haler, of Germanic origin; see hale ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with haul

haul

In addition to the idioms beginning with haul

haul off
haul over the coals
haul up

also see:

long haul
rake (haul) over the coals

haul

Idioms about haul

Origin of haul

synonym study for haul

OTHER WORDS FROM haul

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH haul

Words nearby haul

Words related to haul

How to use haul in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for haul

Word Origin for haul

Other Idioms and Phrases with haul