hauled; hauling; hauls
1
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
1
a
: the act or process of hauling (see haul entry 1) : 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
N. M. Clark
b
: the length or course of a transportation route
a long haul
c
: a quantity transported : load
a haul of lumber
Phrases
haul ass
informal + impolite
: to move quickly
You'd better haul ass or you'll miss your flight.
… if you get the call from the RuPaul's Drag Race casting team, you need to haul ass down to the Learning Annex and enroll in as many sewing classes as your fingers can take.—Coleman Spilde
Coleman Spilde… I'm printing this thing out and I'm supposed to have left already 20 minutes ago. I literally pull it out of the laser printer hot, put a clip on it, and shove it in a gym bag and haul ass to the airport.—James Cameron, quoted at The Ringer
James Cameron, quoted at The RingerExamples of haul in a Sentence
Verb
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.
Noun
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 on the Web
Elaine Pofeldt, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
You’re already loaded down with beach bags, umbrellas, coolers, sand toys, and more—and hauling all of that across the sand is notoriously difficult.
—Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 12 July 2025
Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
The mission: Mix fruits and veggies from the morning’s haul and make a no-rules raw salad—and have fun.
—Karen Yuan, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for haul
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Its employees pick up furniture in its delivery vans and use a proprietary network of carriers to bring it to customers, giving it an edge over platforms where buyers need to haul furniture from the sellers’ homes.
—Elaine Pofeldt, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
You’re already loaded down with beach bags, umbrellas, coolers, sand toys, and more—and hauling all of that across the sand is notoriously difficult.
—Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 12 July 2025
Noun
Siegel misses out on an opportunity to get a solid haul of points.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
The mission: Mix fruits and veggies from the morning’s haul and make a no-rules raw salad—and have fun.
—Karen Yuan, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for haul
Cite this Entry
“Haul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haul. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Etymology
Verb
Middle English halen "to pull," from early French haler (same meaning); of Germanic origin — related to hale entry 2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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