haul

The word “haul” means to pull or drag something heavy, often over a distance. In plain terms, to physically pull something heavy, or the amount of stuff gained from an effort (a catch, loot, or prize).

“Haul” is pronounced hawl (/hɔl/ in IPA).

Here is “haul” used in a sentence: “They hauled the fishing nets up onto the deck.”

Depending on how it is used, “haul” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “haul” comes from Old French. From Old French haler ("to pull, haul"), itself likely from a Germanic word meaning "to fetch" or "drag" — related to English "hale," as in "hale and hearty" (originally meaning to drag along robustly).

“Haul” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Haul” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to pull or drag something heavy, often over a distance.

These are homophones that sound the same but differ in spelling and meaning. "Haul," with "au," means to pull or drag something heavy, or a quantity of goods obtained or seized. "Hall," with two "l"s, is a large room, corridor, or entrance area of a building.

To haul something is to pull or drag it, usually because it is heavy and requires effort, often over a distance. To carry is to hold and move something, typically by lifting it off the ground. Hauling stresses dragging and strain, while carrying stresses supporting the object's weight.