haul

verb \ ˈhȯl \

Definition of haul

transitive verb

1 a :to cause (something) to move by pulling or drawing :to exert traction on

haul a wagon

b :to obtain or move by or as if by hauling

was hauled to parties night after night by his wife

c :to transport in a vehicle :cart

The cattle were hauled to market.

trucks hauling freight

2 :to change the course of (a ship) especially so as to sail closer to the wind

3 :to bring before an authority for interrogation or judgment :hale

haul traffic violators into court

intransitive verb

1 :to exert traction :pull

haul back on the reins

2 :to move along :proceed

about three o'clock we hauled into Moonridge
—Kenneth Clark

the bull hauled back for another lunge
—F. B. Gipson

3 :to furnish transportation

a nominal charge for hauling

4 of the wind :shift

— haul ass

slang, often vulgar

:to move quickly

haul ass or you'll miss your flight

See haul defined for English-language learners

See haul defined for kids

Examples of haul in a Sentence

They hauled the boat up onto the beach.
The car was hauled away to the junkyard.
We used buckets to haul water up from the river.
She hauled herself to her feet and limped home.
I'm tired of hauling this heavy camera around with me.
The prisoner was hauled away in handcuffs.
They hauled her off to court.
The cattle were hauled by rail.
The company has a fleet of trucks that are used to haul freight.

Recent Examples of haul from the Web

The streaming service earned 91 nominations for this year's Emmy Awards, second only to HBO, which hauled 111, and well ahead of Hulu's 18 and Amazon's 16 according to Business Insider.

— hamza shaban, chicagotribune.com, "Netflix adds 5 million new subscribers, surpassing 100 million," 18 July 2017
Hundreds of people, including prominent intellectuals, had signed the charter by the time Mr Liu was hauled away to his cell.

— The Economist, "China’s conscienceLiu Xiaobo’s death holds a message for China," 15 July 2017
A pipeline that hauls oil from West Texas’ Permian Basin to Houston shut Thursday after a 1,200-barrel spill near the state capital, Austin.

— ben sharples, Bloomberg.com, "Oil's Weekly Gain Belies Smaller-Than-$1 Increase From Late 2016," 14 July 2017
Yeah, there's the handful of students who love running and are cooling at the finish line in ten minutes flat, but for everyone else, hauling yourself a full mile at a jog is no small feat.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Girls in Saudi Arabia Will Can Soon Take Gym Class," 13 July 2017
The group is scheduled to meet with Waste Management, the company which hauls Mobile's garbage, on Wednesday.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Mobile inches forward on 'robust recycling' plan, despite council's cautious approach," 11 July 2017
Several cars of a freight train hauling crude oil derailed Friday night in Plainfield prompting an evacuation but no injuries, officials said.

— chicago tribune staff, chicagotribune.com, "Freight train hauling crude oil derails, causing evacuation but no injuries," 30 June 2017
The victim was taken to a hospital and was expected to survive his head wounds, Officer John Buttle said.. Officers cruised around the area, looking for the Winnebago hauling a black Jeep.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Bay assault suspect makes getaway in RV towing a Jeep," 28 June 2017
According to Kansas City police, a truck hauling construction equipment struck part of the bridge, which dislodged concrete.

— toriano porter and joe robertson, kansascity.com, "Barry Road and U.S. 169 in Northland re-opened after bridge accident," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'haul.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of haul

Middle English halen to pull, from Anglo-French haler, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch halen to pull; akin to Old English geholian to obtain

haul Synonyms

Synonyms

drag, draw, hale, pull, lug, tow, tug

Antonyms

drive, propel, push

Related Words

attract; heave, jerk, yank; carry, convey, ferry, move, transport

Near Antonyms

shove, thrust

haul

noun

Definition of haul

1 a :the act or process of hauling (see ¹haul) :pull

The rope stood up under the strain of the haul.

b :a device for pulling or carting something :a device for hauling

2 a :the result of an effort to obtain, collect, or win

the burglar's haul

b :the quantity of fish taken in a single draft of a net

3 a :the act or process of transporting something in a vehicle :transportation by hauling

a rail haul meant that several hundred expensive … cars would have to be bought
—N. M. Clark

b :the length or course of a transportation route

a long haul

c :a quantity transported :load

a haul of lumber

See haul defined for English-language learners

Examples of haul in a Sentence

each haul of the rope
Authorities seized the drugs in one of the biggest drug hauls in the history of the county.
The kids always collect a substantial haul of candy on Halloween.
It's just a short haul from our cabin to the beach.

Recent Examples of haul from the Web

Dr. Millheiser also says to be thoughtful about your wardrobe choices, especially for a long-haul flight.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "How to Keep Your Vagina Healthy All Summer," 6 July 2017
Many of the products in my haul are affordable, and there are plenty of drugstore products that derms recommend.

— anne roderique-jones, SELF, "I Tried a Beauty Editor's Absurd 20-Step Skin-Care Routine for a Month," 2 July 2017
The Philadelphia 76ers’ headliner was Markelle Fultz, but don’t underestimate the scope of their haul.

— adi joseph, For The Win, "NBA Draft 2017: LaVar Ball leads our look at high- and low-key winners and losers," 23 June 2017
More epic transformations to check out: Now, watch this model get a major hair haul during Fashion Week:

— sarah kinonen, Allure, "This Guy's Makeup Transformation Will Blow Your Mind," 20 June 2017
More epic transformations to check out: Now, watch this model get a major hair haul during Fashion Week:

— sarah kinonen, Allure, "This Guy's Makeup Transformation Will Blow Your Mind," 20 June 2017
The haul included third-round pick Daniel Tillo of Iowa Western Community College and 10th-rounder Jordan Floyd, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound Topeka native and senior reliever at Kansas State.

— rustin dodd, kansascity.com, "Royals take four left-handed pitchers on second day of draft, including a K-State product," 13 June 2017
This year’s haul was a bumper crop – at least 420,000 cubic yards of sand deposited along the city’s shoreline from the harbor to south of Oceanside municipal pier, said Greg Fuderer, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Big beaches are back in Oceanside," 13 June 2017
Actually needing to follow a compass and count off paces to find treasure hauls.

— brad chacos, PCWorld, "Microsoft at E3: Meet the Xbox One X's legion of games (that are coming to PC, too)," 11 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of haul

see ¹haul

haul Synonyms

Synonyms

bounty, catch, take, yield

Antonyms

push

Related Words

bag; earnings, gain, gross, income, net, payoff, proceeds, profit, receipts, return, revenue, winnings; booty, loot, plunder, spoils, swag; appropriation, collection

Near Antonyms

deduction, loss, subtraction

HAUL Defined for English Language Learners

haul

verb

Definition of haul for English Language Learners

: to pull or drag (something) with effort
: to move or carry (something) with effort
: to force (someone) to go or come to a place

haul

noun

Definition of haul for English Language Learners

: the act of pulling or dragging something with effort : the act of hauling something
: a usually large amount of something that has been stolen, collected, or won
: a distance to be traveled

HAUL Defined for Kids

haul

verb \ ˈhȯl \

Definition of haul for Students

hauled; hauling

1 :to pull or drag with effort

2 :to transport in a vehicle

haul freight

haul

noun

Definition of haul for Students

1 :the act of pulling or hauling

They got closer with each haul.

2 :an amount collected

a burglar's haul

3 :the distance or route traveled or over which a load is moved

It's a long haul to the beach.

Learn More about haul

See words that rhyme with haul Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for haul Spanish Central: Translation of haul Nglish: Translation of haul for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of haul for Arabic speakers

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haul

Definition of haul

Examples of haul in a Sentence

Recent Examples of haul from the Web

Origin and Etymology of haul

haul Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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HAUL Defined for English Language Learners

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haul

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