hauls

haul

 (hôl)

v. hauled, haul·ing, hauls

v.tr.

1. To pull or drag forcibly: hauled the boat onto the beach. See Synonyms at pull.

2. To transport, as with a truck or cart: hauling cars across the country.

3.

a. To cause (oneself) to move, especially slowly or laboriously: hauled myself down to the lobby.

b. To compel to go, especially for trial: hauled their competitor into court.

4. Nautical To change the course of (a ship), especially in order to sail closer into the wind.

v.intr.

1. To pull or drag something forcibly.

2. To provide transportation; cart.

3. To shift direction: The wind hauled to the east.

4. Nautical To change the course of a ship.

n.

1. The act of pulling or dragging.

2. The act of transporting or carting.

3. A distance, especially the distance over which something is pulled or transported.

4.

a. Something that is pulled or transported; a load.

b. Everything collected or acquired at a single time; the take: a big haul of fish.

Phrasal Verbs:

haul off Informal

1. To draw back slightly, as in preparation for initiating an action: "hauled off and smacked the hapless aide across the face" (Bill Barol).

2. To withdraw or move to another place.

haul out

To move from water onto the shore: a beach where seals often haul out; canoeists who hauled out on the riverbank to rest.

haul up

To come to a halt.

Idiom:

haul ass Vulgar Slang

To move quickly: We'll be late if you don't haul ass.

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[Middle English haulen, from Old French haler, of Germanic origin; see kelə- in Indo-European roots.]

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haul′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.