Hauls

haul  (hôl)

v. hauled, haul·ing, hauls

v.tr.

1. To pull or drag forcibly; tug. See Synonyms at pull.

2. To transport, as with a truck or cart.

3. Informal To compel to go, especially for trial: "hauled the huge companies into court" (Peter Matthiessen).

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

v.intr.

1. To pull; tug.

2. To provide transportation; cart.

3.

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

b. To change one's mind.

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. Something that is pulled or transported; a load.

5. Everything collected or acquired by a single effort; 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 shift operations to a new place; to move away.

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 kel-² in Indo-European roots.]

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hauler n.