haul

Etymology

From Middle English hālen, hailen, haulen, halien (“to drag, pull; to draw up”), from Old French haler (“to haul, pull”), from Frankish *halōn (“to drag, fetch, haul”) or Middle Dutch halen (“to drag, fetch, haul”), possibly merging with Old English *halian (“to haul, drag”); all from Proto-Germanic *halōną, *halēną, *hulōną (“to call, fetch, summon”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call, cry, summon”). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates The word is cognate with Danish hale (“to haul”), Middle Dutch halen (“to draw, fetch, haul”), Dutch halen (“to fetch, bring, haul”), Old Frisian halia, Saterland Frisian halen (“to draw, haul, pull”), Low German halen (“to draw, pull”), Old High German halôn, holôn, German holen (“to fetch, get”), Norwegian hale (“to haul”), Old Saxon halôn (“to fetch, get”), Swedish hala (“to hale, haul, pull, tug”), and related to Old English ġeholian (“to get, obtain”).

verb

1. (transitive) To transport by drawing or pulling, as with horses or oxen, or a motor vehicle.
   to haul logs to a sawmill
   When I was seven or eight years of age, I began hauling all the wood used in the house and shops. I could not load it on the wagons, of course, at the time, but I could drive [the horses], and the choppers would load, and some one at the house unload. 1885, Ulysses S. Grant, “Ancestry—Birth—Boyhood”, in Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant. In Two Volumes, volume I, New York, N.Y.: Charles L. Webster & Company, →OCLC, page 26
2. (transitive) To draw or pull something heavy.
   A spacious breach we make, and Troy's proud wall, / Built by the gods, by her own hands doth fall; / Thus all their help to their own ruin give, / Some draw with cords and some the monster drive / With rolls and levers: thus our works it climbs, / Big with our fate; the youth with songs and rhimes, / Some dance, some haul the rope; at last let down / It enters with a thundering noise the town, / Oh Troy, the seat of gods, in war renown'd! Earlier editions use the word hale: see hale. 1810, John Denham, “The Destruction of Troy. An Essay on the Second Book of Virgil’s Æneis. Written in the Year 1636.”, in Alexander Chalmers, edited by Samuel Johnson, The Works of the English Poets, from Chaucer to Cowper; […] In Twenty-one Volumes, volume VII (Cowley, Denham, Milton), London: Printed [by C[harles] Whittingham] for J[oseph] Johnson [et al.], →OCLC, page 240
   Passing through the entrance of the harbour, the admiral proceeds to manœuvre his flet, to the great gratification of the host of spectators, […] [H]e hoists Dutch colours and fires two guns. This is the signal for a general chase after an imaginary enemy, a chase which continues till he hauls down his flag and fires another gun. 1912, A. Rogers, “Yachting”, in The Encyclopædia of Sport & Games: In Four Volumes, The Sportsman edition, volumes IV (Rackets–Zebra), London: The Sportsman?], →OCLC, page 357, column 2
   The cable used for hauling the wagons on the incline may still be seen, but several of the guiding rollers have disappeared. 1947 March and April, “Notes and News: The Edge Hill Light Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 116
   United lost [Chris] Smalling to a second yellow card for hauling back Yannick Bolasie in extra time – but [Jesse] Lingard took the trophy to Old Trafford when he lashed home a first-time strike from Damien Delaney's half-clearance after 110 minutes. 22 May 2016, Phil McNulty, “Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Manchester United”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 2018-06-14
3. (transitive) To carry or transport something, with a connotation that the item is heavy or otherwise difficult to move.
   The California fruit trade is all handled by the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe railroads. The last named road operates its own refrigerator cars and fixes its own rates. It hauls fully half of the traffic and it is therefore evident that the "Beef Trust" has no voice or power in the matter. […] The same condition exists with the melon grower of Colorado, except that in this case the Santa Fe road hauls nearly all of the product. 4 February 1905, “Why Not Tell the Truth?”, in W. M. Camp, editor, The Railway and Engineering Review, volume XLV, number 5, Chicago, Ill.: Railway Review Inc.[…], →OCLC, page 73, column 1
4. (transitive, figurative) To drag, to pull, to tug.
   The 26-year-old Papiss Cissé] has proved a revelation since his £10m move from Freiburg, with his 11 goals in 10 matches hauling Newcastle above Spurs, who went down to Adel Taarabt's goal in Saturday's late kick-off at Loftus Road. 21 April 2012, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3 – 0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 2018-09-12
5. (transitive, figurative) Followed by up: to summon to be disciplined or held answerable for something.
   Well, it is impossible to carry stock by train or steamer without causing some pain or suffering, and to be hauled up before a Justice of the Peace […] without a warrang because somebody thinks you have caused unnecessary pain seems to me to be an outrageous proceeding. […] [T]o enact a Draconian law that if anybody who does not know anything about the subject thinks when you are trying to get a bullock into a truck when he will not go you are acting cruelly he can inform the police, and you can be arrested there and then and hauled up before a Justice of the Peace. 6 August 1908, William Herbert Herries, “Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Bill”, in New Zealand. Parliamentary Debates. Fourth Session, Sixteenth Parliament (House of Representatives), volume 144, Wellington: John Mackay, government printer, →OCLC, page 188, column 1
6. (intransitive) To pull apart, as oxen sometimes do when yoked.
7. (transitive, intransitive, nautical) To steer (a vessel) closer to the wind.
   When the Admiral hauls out of the Line, and remains ſo for ſome Accident, although the Signal for the Line is flying, and the Signal for Battle then out, ought not the other Ships to continue in the Line, doing their Duty, engaging the Enemy? 7 October 1745, Charles Fearne, “The Trial at Large of Captain George Burrish,[…]”, in Minutes of the Proceedings of a Court-Martial, Assembled on the 23d of September, 1745, […] to Enquire into the Conduct of Admiral Matthews [i.e., Thomas Mathews], Vice-Admiral [Richard] Lestock, and Several Other Officers, in and Relating to the Late Engagement between His Majesty’s Fleet and the Combined Fleets of France and Spain off Toulon, London: Published with His Majesty's royal privilege and licence, published 1746, →OCLC, page 240
   On Tueſday the 4th of April, about ten o'clock in the morning, Mr. Banks's ſervant, Peter Briſcoe, diſcovered land, bearing fourth, at the diſtance of about three or four leagues. I immediately hauled up for it, and found it to be an iſland of an oval form, with a lagoon in the middle, which occupied much the larger part of it; […] 4 April 1769, James Cook, “[An Account of a Voyage around the World, in the Years MDCCLXVIII, MDCCLXIX, MDCCLXX, and MDCCLXXI. By Lieutenant James Cook, Commander of His Majesty’s Bark the Endeavour.] Chapter VII”, in John Hawkesworth, editor, An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, […] In Three Volumes, volume II, London: Printed for W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell[…], published 1773, →OCLC, page 72
   A veſſel ſailing as near as ſhe can to the point from which the wind blows, is ſaid to be cloſe hauled. 1780, J[ohn] Robertson, William Wales, “Section VII. Of Sailing to Windward.”, in The Elements of Navigation; Containing the Theory and Practice.[…], 4th edition, volume II, London: Printed for J[ohn] Nourse,[…], →OCLC, book VII (Of Plane Sailing), paragraph 43, page 42
8. (intransitive, nautical) Of the wind: to shift fore (more towards the bow).
9. (intransitive, US, colloquial) To haul ass (“go fast”).
   “How fast was he goin’?” / “I don’t know exactly, but he must’ve been haulin’, given where he landed.”

noun

1. An act of hauling or pulling, particularly with force; a (violent) pull or tug.
   So I rigged my big salmon rod, and when I heard him splashing in the shallows across the pool, I put a few Alka Seltzer tablets onto the hook and cast into the darkness. There was a splash and a haul on my line, and this time I struck with both hands and then began pulling and horsing as hard as I could to bring this big fish over to my side. 1971, Sparse Grey Hackle [pseudonym], “Who is Sparse Grey Hackle?”, in Fishless Days, Angling Nights, New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishers, →OCLC; republished as Fishless Days, Angling Nights: Classic Stories, Reminiscences, and Lore, New York, N.Y.: Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, page 22
   Then another series of hollered orders, a heave on the wheel, and the brig did a circuit of the flagship's bow, perilously close to the long bowsprit. A haul at the braces and back along the larboard side of the Vincennes the Swallow ran, losing speed but still sending foam seething along the hull of the sloop of war. 2004, Joan Druett, chapter 6, in A Watery Grave (Wiki Coffin Adventure; 1), New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Minotaur; republished as A Watery Grave (Wiki Coffin Mysteries; 1), New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, 2013
2. The distance over which something is hauled or transported, especially if long.
   Getting to his place was a real haul.
   I find long-haul travel by airplane tiring.
   The condition, par excellence, in favor of motor truck operation is one involving long hauls. In fact, it may be almost said that any one having to make long hauls in his business should motorize at once without further debate, as the case for trucks is practically settled by the mere statement of this condition. […] Transportation involving short hauls is the obverse of the ideal, and as a general thing represents a condition unfavorable for the operation of motor trucks. 1921, Victor W[ilfred] Pagé, “Truck Operating Cost Determination”, in The Modern Motor Truck: Design, Construction, Operation, Repair, Commercial Applications …, New York, N.Y.: The Norman W. Henley Publishing Co.[…], →OCLC, page 893
   Many routes to/from hubs on which the anti-competitive effects of market power are likely to be most marked are relatively short hauls, whereas many of the through markets most likely to benefit from greater competition are relatively long hauls. If scheduling through hubs causes fares in through (long haul) markets to fall and fares in local (short haul) markets to rise, this can result in the structure of fares by distance reflecting more closely the manner in which average costs vary by route length. 2007, Pat Hanlon, “Scheduling through Hubs”, in Global Airlines: Competition in a Transnational Industry, 3rd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire, Burlington, Mass.: Butterworth-Heinemann, section 5.6 (Effects on Passengers), page 232
3. An amount of something that has been taken, especially of fish, illegal loot, or items purchased on a shopping trip.
   The robber’s haul was over thirty items.
   The trawler landed a ten-ton haul.
   At Kidney's Cove there was a seine of one hundred and seventy-five fathoms in length and twenty-four feet in depth, operated by a crew of twelve men. The daily hauls were ten, and was fished from April 13th or June 6th. Gross receipts, $1,600. 1876, “Commissioners of Fisheries. Burlington County.”, in Seventh Annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries of the State of New Jersey, for the Year 1876, Trenton, N.J.: John L. Murphy, State Gazette Printing House, →OCLC, page 9
   One of the biggest "hauls" ever made in the tire business is alleged to have been engineered last week by H. R. Hare, a former cashier of the Hartford Rubber Works. Most of the larger tire concerns doing business in New York were the victims, the total amount stolen being in the neighborhood of $25,000 worth. 12 April 1911, “Got Away with $25,000 Worth of Tires, It is Said”, in The Horseless Age: First Automobile Journal in the English Language, volume XXVII, number 15, New York, N.Y.: Horseless Age Co., →OCLC, page 647, column 2
   Besides Maxim the only other person in sight was a beachcomber so wrapped in scarves he could have been a pilgrim from the Middle Ages. He dragged a sledge with a haul of driftwood, bottles and cans. 2013, Martin Cruz Smith, Tatiana: An Arkady Renko Novel (Arkady Renko; 8), New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster; 1st trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, November 2014, page 173
   A welcome two-week break after nine races in 11 weeks before the Russian Grand Prix, where Hamilton can equal a record some felt might never be broken - Schumacher's haul of 91 victories. 13 September 2020, Andrew Benson, “Tuscan Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton claims 90th win after incredible race”, in BBC Sport
4. (Internet) Short for haul video (“video posted on the Internet consisting of someone showing and talking about recently purchased items”).
   Then there are the YouTube hauls, the oddly viral videos of influencers showing off what they got for Christmas. In her 2017 haul that's been watched 1.7 million times, Olivia Jade – a 19-year-old beauty and fashion tipster and the daughter of actress Lori Loughlin – sat on a plush white bed in polar bear pyjamas and a Santa hat. One by one, she showed off a bottle of Valentino perfume ("sweet mixed with floral"), a cropped, purple fuzzy sweater from Urban Outfitters, bikinis, sneakers, jeans, underwear, high heels, dresses, tops and more. 24 December 2018, Rachel Siegel, “Holiday shopping in the age of Instagram”, in The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, N.S.W.: Nine Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-04-23
5. (ropemaking) A bundle of many threads to be tarred.
   When the collected yarns number about 400, they are coiled up in a haul, and are ready either for tarring, or laying into white ropes. Previous to the haul being taken up for tarring, there is a slight turn put into it to keep it from getting entangled in the tar-kettle. […] 400 of such threads constituted a haul, and weighed 12 cwt. 2 qrs, and when tarred 15 cwt. 1842, B. S., “Rope-making”, in Macvey Napier, editor, The Encyclopædia Britannica, Or Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, 7th edition, volume XIX, issue 2, Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, →OCLC, page 461, column 2
6. (Britain, soccer) Four goals scored by one player in a game.
   Four goals scored by a single player in a match can be described as a 'haul', while five goals is unofficially a 'glut'. Oct 23, 2020, “What is a brace in soccer?”, in Goal