haul

verb

ˈhȯl 

hauled; hauling; hauls

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 friends

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

see also:

haul ass

Synonyms of haul

• pull
• drag

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 on the Web

On an island where heroism is embedded in everyday acts of hauling vines up terraces, rebuilding after raids, quietly helping strangers in the night, the label itself feels unnecessary. —Valentina Di Donato, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Others watch their kids go from needing a pair of shin guards to hauling around an entire bag of equipment just to play soccer. —New Atlas, 6 June 2026

My parents got the school involved, and the ringleaders were hauled into the vice principal’s office. —Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 5 June 2026

All the while, Upper West Side locals walked their little white dogs and hauled Fairway groceries past the throngs, looking confused. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing haul

• for the long haul
• haul in
• haul off
• haul off and
• haul on
• haul/rake (someone) over the coals
• haul (someone) over the coals
• in the long haul
• line-haul
• long haul
• long-haul COVID
• over the long haul
• short-haul
• water haul

Rhymes for haul

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• doll
• drawl
• fall

Kids Definition

haul

1 of 2 verb

ˈhȯl 

1

: to pull or drag with effort : draw

haul a cart

2

: to obtain or move by or as if by hauling

3

: to transport in a vehicle

4

: to bring before an authority : hale

hauled him into court

hauler noun

haul

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act or process of hauling : pull

2

a

: an amount collected : take

a burglar's haul

b

: the amount of fish taken in a single drawing of a net

3

: the distance over which a load is hauled

a long haul

Etymology

Middle English halen "to pull," from early French haler (same meaning); of Germanic origin — related to hale entry 2