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:
The 1.2-million-pound locomotive, built in 1941 to haul heavy freight across the Wasatch Mountains between Utah and Wyoming, is traveling east of the Mississippi for the first time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The film -- with a high-voltage cast led by Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, and produced by Universal -- pillaged earlier estimates that forecast an opening weekend haul of less than $100 million.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Universal Pictures film’s haul outperformed studio expectations of a $117-million domestic opening and set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a live-action or R-rated film so far this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Sixty-two miles east of Tuskegee is the rural outpost of Eufaula, where pickup trucks haul fishing boats to the muddy banks of the nearby Chattahoochee River.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
I didn’t know what her problem was with some old doll, but I’d find out after I figured out a way to haul it in.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Leida Bello, meanwhile, hauls her supplies home alone, where some walls are cracked and one has even collapsed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
During the day, he loads it with heavy goods that he hauls around Old Delhi’s crowded wholesale markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
His feeds are full of upbeat "get ready with me" videos, posts unpacking shopping hauls, and clips in which he talks about his life as a gay teen.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
It serves mainly industrial customers and hauls goods over relatively short distances.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Her mother catches hold of the white plastic ring and hauls it to the edge.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Bodies were carried out by volunteers without specialised equipment, being hauled into cars and vans.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Last week, the last of Wang’s five top lieutenants, dubbed the “Five Tiger Generals,” was hauled away for investigation by the very apparatus Wang helped build.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Last weekend, the movie hauled in $26.4 million in its third weekend in theaters, up 10% from the previous weekend’s total.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
Labour inspectors on the public holiday in 2024 reported five bakers to the authorities for operating, causing them to be hauled before a court.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
I gathered every last skein inside my blanket and hauled it to the mill.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
The problem comes in the morning and hauling themselves out of bed.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
They are built to meet sky-high expectations of towing, hauling and cargo versatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
"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
This farm was hard work; I was whittled down at least two sizes what with all the chores and hauling and carrying.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
