hale

1 of 2

adjective

ˈhāl 

: free from defect, disease, or infirmity : sound

also : retaining exceptional health and vigor

a hale and hearty old man

hale

2 of 2

verb

haled; haling

transitive verb

1

: haul, pull

2

: to compel to go

haled her into court

Did you know?

What's the Difference Between hale,healthy, sound, and robust?

English has two words hale: the adjective that is frequently paired with hearty to describe those healthy and strong, and the somewhat uncommon verb that has to do with literal or figurative hauling or pulling. (One can hale a boat onto shore, or hale a person into a courtroom with the aid of legal ramifications for resistance.) The verb comes from Middle English halen, also root of our word haul, but the adjective has a bifurcated origin, with two Middle English terms identified as sources, hale and hail. Both of those come from words meaning "healthy," the former from Old English hāl, and the latter from Old Norse heill. Middle English hail is also the source of the three modern English words hail (the verb, interjection, and noun) that have to do with greeting.

Synonyms of hale

Adjective

• healthy
• well
• robust

Verb

• haul
• pull
• drag
• tow

Choose the Right Synonym for hale

healthy, sound, wholesome, robust, hale, well mean enjoying or indicative of good health.

healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease.

a healthy family

sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.

a sound heart

wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance.

a face with a wholesome glow

robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly.

a lively, robust little boy

hale applies particularly to robustness in old age.

still hale at the age of eighty

well implies merely freedom from disease or illness.

she has never been a well person

Examples of hale in a Sentence

Adjective

still hale and strong at 80, often outdoing his younger golfing buddies

Verb

the fishermen haled the huge net onto the deck of the ship

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The symphony sounds remarkably hale under Payare’s baton, and as the movement grew, so did the power and immediacy of the orchestra, always bringing balance and poise back to the beloved processional of the main melody. —Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Nov. 2022

Oscar, still hale and hearty, celebrated his 15th birthday in July of 2022. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2022

Verb

Lyft’s leading competitor, Uber, the country’s largest ride-haling service, is not a party to the settlement. —Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2026

Listen to this article Connecticut is receiving nearly $7 million in federal funds to help clean up its brownfield sites, with advocates haling the news as a major boost for the environment. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 24 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

partly from Middle English (northern) hale, from Old English hāl; partly from Middle English hail, from Old Norse heill — more at whole

Verb

Middle English halen, from Anglo-French haler, aler — more at haul

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

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Kids Definition

hale

1 of 2 adjective

ˈhā(ə)l 

: sound entry 1 sense 1a, healthy

grandmother was still hale and hearty at eighty

hale

2 of 2 verb

haled; haling

1

: haul entry 1 sense 1, pull

2

: to force to go

haled them into court

Etymology

Adjective

partly from Middle English hale "healthy, unhurt," from Old English hāl (same meaning) and partly from Middle English hail (an interjection of approval or greeting), derived from early Norse heill "healthy" — related to hail entry 3, health, wassail, whole

Verb

Middle English halen "to pull," from early French haler (same meaning); of Germanic origin — related to haul

Biographical Definition

Hale 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

ˈhāl 

Edward Everett 1822–1909 American Unitarian clergyman and writer

Hale

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

George Ellery 1868–1938 American astronomer

Hale

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

Sir Matthew 1609–1676 English jurist

Hale

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Nathan 1755–1776 American Revolutionary hero