I. ˈhȯl verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English halen to pull, draw, from Old French haler, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch halen to pull; akin to Old English geholian to obtain, Old High German halōn, holōn, holēn to call, fetch, Old Saxon halōn, and perhaps to Old English hlōwan to low — more at low
transitive verb
1.
a. : to change the course of (a ship) especially so as to sail closer to the wind — often used with directional adverb
told the chief officer to haul her off four points — Mercantile Marine Magazine
b. : to sail or hold on a course
hauled his skiff all the way north — A.B.Mayse
2.
a.
(1) : to exert traction on : pull
haul a net
haul a wagon
— often followed by directional adverb
haul out a stump
haul up a lobster pot
haul in an anchor
haul down a flag
(2) : to take by drawing in or up (as with a net)
haul herring
b. : to exert influence on so as to achieve a desired end : drag
his wife … will haul him to a highbrow play — Francis Fergusson
c. : to transport from one place to another in a vehicle : cart
haul passengers
haul coal from the mines
cattle are hauled by rail
3. : to bring before (an authority) for interrogation or punishment : hale
haul traffic violators into court
— often used with up
haul up a … president of the United States to explain his conduct in office to a congressional committee — Elmer Davis
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to change course so as to sail closer to the wind — often used with up
she hauled up 'til the sails began to shiver
b. : to sail on a course
decided to haul south
2.
a.
(1) : to exert traction : pull
haul on a rope
— often followed by directional adverb
haul back on the reins
hauled over to put a pilot aboard — H.A.Chippendale
(2) : to take or seek a catch especially of fish by hauling a net
go hauling for herring
b. : to propel oneself : come , go
about three o'clock we hauled into Moonridge — Kenneth Clark
the bull hauled back for another lunge — F.B.Gipson
c. : to carry from one place to another : furnish transportation
nominal charge for hauling
3. of the wind : to change direction : shift
the wind has hauled more to the south — William Willis
— often used with around
hauled around to the starboard quarter
Synonyms: see pull
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- haul down one's colors
- haul in one's horns
- haul one over the coals
- haul one's wind
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : an act of dragging : strong pull
the rope stood up under the strain of the haul
b. : a mechanical device for pulling : conveyor belt
mine cars on a car haul
2. : the result of an effort to collect either legitimately or by theft : take
rich hauls of plankton — N.B.Marshall
a mink coat haul — Rose Thurburn
specifically : the fish taken in a single draft of a net
3. ropemaking : a bundle of yarns to be tarred
4.
a. : an act of transporting
a rail haul meant that several hundred expensive … cars would have to be bought — N.M.Clark
b. : the distance or route over which a load is transported
sand is normally taken from deposits within a reasonable haul of the site of building — G.S.Brady
ride first-class only on the short hauls — T.H.Fielding
the long haul round the Cape — Sir Winston Churchill
c. : the quantity of material transported : load
hauls of unsifted ore — Times Literary Supplement
III. verb
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- haul ass