hale 1 of 2

hale

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verb

as in to haul
to cause to follow by applying steady force on the fishermen haled the huge net onto the deck of the ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hale distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of hale are healthy, robust, sound, well, and wholesome. While all these words mean "enjoying or indicative of good health," hale applies particularly to robustness in old age.

still hale at the age of eighty

When can healthy be used instead of hale?

Although the words healthy and hale have much in common, healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease.

a healthy family

In what contexts can robust take the place of hale?

The words robust and hale can be used in similar contexts, but robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly.

a lively, robust little boy

When is sound a more appropriate choice than hale?

While the synonyms sound and hale are close in meaning, sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.

a sound heart

When is it sensible to use well instead of hale?

While in some cases nearly identical to hale, well implies merely freedom from disease or illness.

she has never been a well person

When could wholesome be used to replace hale?

In some situations, the words wholesome and hale are roughly equivalent. However, wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance.

a face with a wholesome glow

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hale
Adjective
The Chamber of Commerce dream demographic for new Angelenos was hale, white, middle- and yeoman-class Americans. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 What this signal reveals is a home range that hardly budged in Fred’s early adolescence, while the hale and hearty growth rates of childhood dramatically fell off. Peter Brannen, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022
Verb
Then an employer who attempts union-busting could be haled into court and face an injunction against demoting or firing union organizers, followed by a trial and possibly heavy damages. Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 28 June 2018 Haley, among others, haled the fact that budget cutting efforts took some $285 million, or roughly 5 percent, out of the U.N.’s budget last December. George Russell, Fox News, 16 May 2018 See All Example Sentences for hale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hale
Adjective
  • Moore woke up Sunday morning in a hospital room — just hours after his wife, Sidney, had given birth to their third child, a healthy baby girl named Saleh.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Reams of studies have also found that healthy diets are more expensive than unhealthy ones—sometimes as much as doubly so.
    Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Interspliced are shots of him hauling up oyster cages, sliding a knife into an oyster to shuck it, handing a fresh oyster to a little girl.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Now, any cars driven recklessly may be hauled to the tow lot.
    Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Over the weekend, the president fanned the flames of the trade war by threatening China with 100 percent tariffs over its imposition of export controls, only to insist, on Monday, that all was well with the bilateral trade relationship.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
  • What is most appealing about YoungBoy is that his music, quite frankly, is the sound of a man who is very much not well.
    Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025
  • But institutional gravity is already starting to pull the two organizations together.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The writing world is robust and there are many of us out here writing together.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The report also called out parts of Italy and Africa for failing to implement robust anti-abuse measures.
    Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • These robots grow from their tip by turning their skin inside out, a mechanism that enables them to advance without dragging against their surroundings.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
  • But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • One police cruiser was destroyed by flames and needed to be towed away from the area, officials said.
    Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Keep a distance from high profile vehicles such as trucks, buses and vehicles towing trailers.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hale. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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