Haul
hɔːl
Definitions
3 meaningsTo pull or drag something heavy.
hɔːl
To pull or drag with effort.
They had to haul the supplies up the mountain.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're helping a friend move. When you *haul* a heavy box across the room, you're using a lot of effort to pull or drag it. It's like the moving trucks that *haul* all your furniture!
👶 For kids: To pull something heavy or to carry something.
More Examples
The fishermen hauled in their nets.
The company hauls goods across the country.
How It's Used
"The truck hauled the heavy load of cargo."
"She hauled the groceries into the house."
The quantity of something collected or taken at one time.
hɔːl
An amount collected or gained.
The thieves made off with a large haul of jewelry.
💡 Simply: Imagine going trick-or-treating. Your *haul* is all the candy you collected! A store's *haul* could be all the profits they made in a day. It's like a big collection!
👶 For kids: The stuff you got.
More Examples
The shopkeeper was pleased with the day's haul.
The fishermen were proud of their haul.
How It's Used
"The store made a good haul during the sale."
"The fishermen were excited about their large haul."
The distance or amount of effort involved in traveling or carrying something.
hɔːl
The distance traveled.
It was a long haul, but we finally finished the project.
💡 Simply: Sometimes, something takes a long time or a lot of effort. Like running a marathon, which is a 'long *haul*'. Or a really long car trip. It's about the whole process.
👶 For kids: How far something goes.
More Examples
The ship was built for the long haul.
The farmer was looking forward to the last haul of the day.
How It's Used
"The long haul was tiring, but we made it."
"The long haul of the project was worth the effort."
Idioms & expressions
the long haul
A long period of time, especially one involving considerable effort or difficulty.
"It was a long haul to get the business off the ground."
haul ass
To move quickly, usually to escape or get somewhere in a hurry.
"When the alarm went off, everyone had to haul ass to get out of the building."
From Middle English halen, from Old English *hālian* (to drag, pull), from Proto-Germanic *halōną (to drag, pull).
The word 'haul' has been used since the 14th century and initially referred to pulling or dragging.
Memory tip
Think of a heavy object being *hauled* up a hill.
Word Origin
"To drag, pull"