Haul vs. Drag — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 9, 2024
Haul emphasizes transporting heavy loads, often over a distance, while drag focuses on pulling with resistance or difficulty.
Difference Between Haul and Drag
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Haul typically involves lifting and moving heavy or large items from one place to another, which may require considerable effort or the use of machinery. This term often implies a certain distance or destination, as in transporting goods. Whereas drag refers to pulling something along a surface, usually with some degree of difficulty or resistance, and often implies that the object remains in contact with the surface.
When using haul, there's often an implication of a purposeful journey or transportation, such as hauling goods across the country. This can involve vehicles, equipment, or physical labor. On the other hand, drag might not imply movement over a significant distance and often suggests a slower or more laborious process, such as dragging a heavy object across a room.
Haul can also have a broader application, extending to concepts like "a long haul" which refers to a long journey or task, emphasizing duration or effort. Drag, however, is frequently associated with resistance or reluctance, as seen in phrases like "dragging one's feet," which suggests a lack of enthusiasm or delay in progress.
In certain contexts, haul is used positively, such as in "haul in a big catch," indicating a successful or substantial gain. Drag, conversely, can carry a negative connotation, as in "drag down the mood," implying a detrimental effect or hindrance.
Despite their differences, both terms can sometimes be used in similar contexts, especially when referring to the act of moving something with effort. For instance, one might haul or drag furniture during a move, with the choice of term affecting the implied effort or method.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
Transport heavy loads
Pull with resistance
Implication
Purposeful journey or transportation
Resistance or difficulty in movement
Context
Often involves significant distance
May not imply significant distance
Connotation
Can be positive (e.g., a successful gain)
Often negative (e.g., hindrance or reluctance)
Usage
"Hauling goods across the country"
"Dragging a chair across the floor"
Compare with Definitions
Haul
Transporting heavy loads.
They hauled the furniture to the new house.
Drag
Pulling with difficulty.
He dragged the heavy box across the room.
Haul
Pulling with purpose.
They hauled in the fishing net full of catch.
Drag
Resistance in movement.
The suitcase seemed to drag on the uneven surface.
Haul
Moving with effort or machinery.
They used a crane to haul the wreckage.
Drag
Moving something along a surface.
The dress dragged on the ground as she walked.
Haul
Achieving or gaining something substantial.
The movie's box office haul was impressive.
Drag
Reluctance or delay.
She's dragging her feet on making a decision.
Haul
Long journey or effort.
The long haul flight was exhausting.
Drag
Negative impact or hindrance.
Don't let your fears drag you down.
Haul
To pull or drag forcibly
They hauled the boat onto the beach. We hauled the wood into the shed.
Drag
Pull (someone or something) along forcefully, roughly, or with difficulty
We dragged the boat up the beach
Haul
To transport, as with a truck or cart
The contractor used a truck to haul away the dirt and debris.
Drag
(of time) pass slowly and tediously
The day dragged—eventually it was time for bed
Haul
To cause (oneself) to move, especially slowly or laboriously
I hauled myself down to the lobby.
Drag
The action of pulling something forcefully or with difficulty
The drag of the current
Haul
To compel to go, especially for trial
Hauled their competitor into court.
Drag
A boring or tiresome person or thing
Working nine to five can be a drag
Haul
(Nautical) To change the course of (a ship), especially in order to sail closer into the wind.
Drag
An act of inhaling smoke from a cigarette
He took a long drag on his cigarette
Haul
To pull or drag something forcibly.
Drag
A street or road
The main drag is wide but there are few vehicles
Haul
To provide transportation; cart.
Drag
A thing that is pulled along the ground or through water.
Haul
To shift direction
The wind hauled to the east.
Drag
A strong-smelling lure drawn before hounds as a substitute for a fox.
Haul
(Nautical) To change the course of a ship.
Drag
Influence over other people
They had the education but they didn't have the drag
Haul
The act of pulling or dragging.
Drag
One of the basic patterns (rudiments) of drumming, consisting of a stroke preceded by two grace notes usually played with the other stick.
Haul
The act of transporting or carting.
Drag
Short for drag race
Haul
A distance, especially the distance over which something is pulled or transported
A long haul across the country.
Drag
A private vehicle like a stagecoach, drawn by four horses.
Haul
Something that is pulled or transported; a load.
Drag
To pull along with difficulty or effort; haul
Dragged the heavy box out of the way.
Haul
Everything collected or acquired at a single time; the take
A big haul of fish.
Drag
To cause to trail along a surface, especially the ground
Don't drag your coat in the mud.
Haul
(transitive) To transport by drawing or pulling, as with horses or oxen, or a motor vehicle.
To haul logs to a sawmill
Drag
To move (a pointing device, such as a mouse) while pressing down on one of its buttons.
Haul
(transitive) To draw or pull something heavy.
Drag
To move (an element of a graphical display) on a computer screen using a pointing device.
Haul
(transitive) To carry or transport something, with a connotation that the item is heavy or otherwise difficult to move.
Drag
To cause to move with great effort
Dragged himself into the doctor's office.
Haul
To drag, to pull, to tug.
Drag
To take or escort (a person, for example), especially in overcoming resistance or reluctance
Dragged my father to the reception.
Haul
Followed by up: to summon to be disciplined or held answerable for something.
Drag
To cause to be involved in an unpleasant or difficult situation
Why did you drag me into this mess?.
Haul
(intransitive) To pull apart, as oxen sometimes do when yoked.
Drag
To force or bring out with great effort
Dragged the truth out of the reluctant witness.
Haul
To steer (a vessel) closer to the wind.
Drag
To mention or introduce (an unpleasant or tedious subject)
Dragged up that embarrassing incident.
Is always dragging his money problems into the conversation.
Haul
Of the wind: to shift fore (more towards the bow).
Drag
To search or sweep the bottom of (a body of water), as with a grappling hook or dragnet
Dragged the river looking for the suitcase.
Haul
To fast]].
“How fast was he goin’?” / “I don’t know exactly, but he must’ve been haulin’, given where he landed.”
Drag
To bring up or catch by such means.
Haul
An act of hauling or pulling, particularly with force; a (violent) pull or tug.
Drag
To prolong tediously
Dragged the story out.
Haul
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.
Drag
(Baseball) To hit (a bunt) while taking the first steps toward first base.
Haul
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.
Drag
To break up, rake, or smooth out (land or dirt), especially by pulling a drag or heavy mesh
Dragged the infield between innings.
Haul
(Internet) purchased]] items
Drag
(Informal) To humiliate or shame publicly, especially on social media
“Unknown Actor Gets Dragged by Twitter for Being the World's Worst Date” (Allure).
Haul
(ropemaking) A bundle of many threads to be tarred.
Drag
To trail along the ground
The dog's leash dragged on the sidewalk.
Haul
Four goals scored by one player in a game.
Drag
To move slowly or with effort
He dragged along behind us.
Haul
To pull or draw with force; to drag.
Some dance, some haul the rope.
Thither they bent, and hauled their ships to land.
Romp-loving missIs hauled about in gallantry robust.
Drag
To pass or proceed slowly, tediously, or laboriously
The time dragged as we waited.
Haul
To transport by drawing, as with horses or oxen; as, 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.
Drag
To search or dredge the bottom of a body of water
Dragging for the sunken craft.
Haul
To pull apart, as oxen sometimes do when yoked.
Drag
To take part in a drag race.
Haul
A pulling with force; a violent pull.
Drag
To draw on a cigarette, pipe, or cigar.
Haul
A single draught of a net; as, to catch a hundred fish at a haul.
Drag
Something, such as a harrow or an implement for spreading manure, that is dragged along the ground.
Haul
That which is caught, taken, or gained at once, as by hauling a net.
Drag
A device, such as a grappling hook, that is used for dragging under water.
Haul
Transportation by hauling; the distance through which anything is hauled, as freight in a railroad car; as, a long haul or short haul.
Drag
A heavy sledge or cart for hauling loads.
Haul
A bundle of about four hundred threads, to be tarred.
Drag
A large four-horse coach with seats inside and on top.
Haul
The act of drawing or hauling something;
The haul up the hill went very slowly
Drag
Something, such as a sea anchor or a brake on a fishing reel, that retards motion.
Haul
The quantity that was caught;
The catch was only 10 fish
Drag
One that impedes or slows progress; a drawback or burden
The drag of taxation on economic growth.
Haul
Draw slowly or heavily;
Haul stones
Haul nets
Drag
The degree of resistance involved in dragging or hauling.
Haul
Transport in a vehicle;
Haul stones from the quarry in a truck
Haul vegetables to the market
Drag
The retarding force exerted on a moving body by a fluid medium such as air or water.
Drag
The act of dragging, especially a slow, laborious movement.
Drag
The scent or trail of a fox or another animal.
Drag
Something that provides an artificial scent.
Drag
(Slang) One that is obnoxiously tiresome
The evening was a real drag.
Drag
A puff on a cigarette, pipe, or cigar.
Drag
(Slang) A street or road
The town's main drag.
Drag
Of a fluid to something moving through it.
When designing cars, manufacturers have to take drag into consideration.
Drag
(by analogy with above) Any force acting in opposition to the motion of an object.
A high thrust-to-weight ratio helps a rocket to overcome the effects of gravity drag.
Drag
The bottom part of a sand casting mold.
Drag
(countable) A device dragged along the bottom of a body of water in search of something, e.g. a dead body, or in fishing.
Drag
A systematic search for someone over a wide area, especially by the authorities; a dragnet.
Drag
A double drum-stroke played at twice the speed of the context in which it is placed.
Drag
A puff on a cigarette or joint.
He got high after just one drag of the joint.
Give me a drag on that roach!
Drag
Someone or something that is annoying or frustrating, or disappointing; an obstacle to progress or enjoyment.
Travelling to work in the rush hour is a real drag.
Drag
A long open horse-drawn carriage with transverse or side seats.
Drag
Street, as in 'main drag'.
Drag
(countable) The scent-path left by dragging a fox, or some other substance such as aniseed, for training hounds to follow scents.
To run a drag
Drag
A large amount of backspin on the cue ball, causing the cue ball to slow down.
Drag
A heavy harrow for breaking up ground.
Drag
A kind of sledge for conveying heavy objects; also, a kind of low car or handcart.
A stone drag
Drag
(metallurgy) The bottom part of a flask or mould, the upper part being the cope.
Drag
(masonry) A steel instrument for completing the dressing of soft stone.
Drag
(nautical) The difference between the speed of a screw steamer under sail and that of the screw when the ship outruns the screw; or between the propulsive effects of the different floats of a paddle wheel.
Drag
Anything towed in the water to retard a ship's progress, or to keep her head up to the wind; especially, a canvas bag with a hooped mouth (drag sail), so used.
Drag
A pulled load.
Drag
A skid or shoe for retarding the motion of a carriage wheel.
Drag
Motion affected with slowness and difficulty, as if clogged.
Drag
Witch house music.
Drag
The last position in a line of hikers.
Drag
(billiards) A push somewhat under the centre of the cue ball, causing it to follow the object ball a short way.
Drag
A device for guiding wood to the saw.
Drag
(historical) A mailcoach.
Drag
(slang) A prison sentence of three months.
Drag
Women's clothing worn by men for the purpose of entertainment.
He performed in drag.
Drag
Men's clothing worn by women for the purpose of entertainment.
Drag
A men's party attended in women's clothing.
Drag
Any type of clothing or costume associated with a particular occupation or subculture.
Corporate drag
Drag
(transitive) To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty.
Let's drag this load of wood over to the shed.
The misbehaving child was dragged out of the classroom.
Drag
To move onward heavily, laboriously, or slowly; to advance with weary effort; to go on lingeringly.
Time seems to drag when you're waiting for a bus.
Drag
To act or proceed slowly or without enthusiasm; to be reluctant.
Drag
To draw along (something burdensome); hence, to pass in pain or with difficulty.
Drag
To serve as a clog or hindrance; to hold back.
Drag
(graphical user interface) To operate a pointing device by moving it with a button held down; to move, copy, etc. (an item) in this way.
Drag the file into the window to open it.
Drag
(chiefly of a vehicle) To unintentionally rub or scrape on a surface.
The car was so low to the ground that its muffler was dragging on a speed bump.
Drag
(soccer) To hit or kick off target.
Drag
To fish with a dragnet.
Drag
To search for something, as a lost object or body, by dragging something along the bottom of a body of water.
Drag
To break (land) by drawing a drag or harrow over it; to harrow.
Drag
(figurative) To search exhaustively, as if with a dragnet.
Drag
(slang) To roast, say negative things about, or call attention to the flaws of (someone).
You just drag him 'cause he's got more money than you.
Drag
To play at a slower tempo than one is supposed to or than the other musicians one is playing with, or to inadvertently gradually decrease tempo while one is playing.
Drag
To perform as a drag queen or drag king.
Drag
A confection; a comfit; a drug.
Drag
The act of dragging; anything which is dragged.
Drag
A net, or an apparatus, to be drawn along the bottom under water, as in fishing, searching for drowned persons, etc.
Drag
A kind of sledge for conveying heavy bodies; also, a kind of low car or handcart; as, a stone drag.
Drag
A heavy coach with seats on top; also, a heavy carriage.
Drag
A heavy harrow, for breaking up ground.
Drag
Anything towed in the water to retard a ship's progress, or to keep her head up to the wind; esp., a canvas bag with a hooped mouth, so used. See Drag sail (below).
My lectures were only a pleasure to me, and no drag.
Drag
Motion affected with slowness and difficulty, as if clogged.
Drag
The bottom part of a flask or mold, the upper part being the cope.
Drag
A steel instrument for completing the dressing of soft stone.
Drag
To draw slowly or heavily onward; to pull along the ground by main force; to haul; to trail; - applied to drawing heavy or resisting bodies or those inapt for drawing, with labor, along the ground or other surface; as, to drag stone or timber; to drag a net in fishing.
Dragged by the cords which through his feet were thrust.
The grossness of his nature will have weight to drag thee down.
A needless Alexandrine ends the songThat, like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along.
Drag
To break, as land, by drawing a drag or harrow over it; to harrow; to draw a drag along the bottom of, as a stream or other water; hence, to search, as by means of a drag.
Then while I dragged my brains for such a song.
Drag
To draw along, as something burdensome; hence, to pass in pain or with difficulty.
Have dragged a lingering life.
Drag
To be drawn along, as a rope or dress, on the ground; to trail; to be moved onward along the ground, or along the bottom of the sea, as an anchor that does not hold.
Drag
To move onward heavily, laboriously, or slowly; to advance with weary effort; to go on lingeringly.
The day drags through, though storms keep out the sun.
Long, open panegyric drags at best.
Drag
To serve as a clog or hindrance; to hold back.
A propeller is said to drag when the sails urge the vessel faster than the revolutions of the screw can propel her.
Drag
To fish with a dragnet.
Drag
The phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid
Drag
Something that slows or delays progress;
Taxation is a drag on the economy
Too many laws are a drag on the use of new land
Drag
Something tedious and boring;
Peeling potatoes is a drag
Drag
A slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke);
He took a puff on his pipe
He took a drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly
Drag
The act of dragging (pulling with force);
The drag up the hill exhausted him
Drag
Pull, as against a resistance;
He dragged the big suitcase behind him
These worries were dragging at him
Drag
Draw slowly or heavily;
Haul stones
Haul nets
Drag
Force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action;
They were swept up by the events
Don't drag me into this business
Drag
Move slowly and as if with great effort
Drag
To lag or linger behind;
But in so many other areas we still are dragging
Drag
Suck in or take (air);
Draw a deep breath
Draw on a cigarette
Drag
Use a computer mouse to move icons on the screen and select commands from a menu;
Drag this icon to the lower right hand corner of the screen
Drag
Walk without lifting the feet
Drag
Search (as the bottom of a body of water) for something valuable or lost
Drag
Persuade to come away from something attractive or interesting;
He dragged me away from the television set
Drag
Proceed for an extended period of time;
The speech dragged on for two hours
Common Curiosities
What does "dragging your feet" mean?
It means to delay or be slow in doing something, often due to reluctance.
Can both terms be used interchangeably?
In some contexts related to moving objects, yes, but their nuances and implications differ.
What does it mean to haul something?
To transport or move heavy or large items, often over some distance.
Is hauling always physical?
While often physical, "haul" can also refer to abstract concepts like the duration of an effort or task.
Does "haul" only apply to goods?
No, it can apply to various items or even abstract concepts like time and effort.
Is "drag" always negative?
Often, but not exclusively, especially in physical contexts.
Can "drag" imply unwillingness?
Yes, "drag" can suggest reluctance or resistance, not just in physical movement but also in terms of delaying or hindering progress.
Does "drag" have a specific meaning in automotive contexts?
Yes, it can refer to air resistance or a type of racing known as drag racing.
What does "a long haul" refer to?
It refers to a long journey or task, often implying significant effort or duration.
Does "drag" imply contact with a surface?
Typically, yes, as it suggests pulling something along a surface with resistance.
Can you "haul" something without machinery?
Yes, hauling can be done manually or with machinery, depending on the load's size and weight.
Can both terms be used in nautical contexts?
Yes, both can be used, such as dragging an anchor or hauling in a catch.
Can "haul" refer to a quantity?
Yes, it can refer to the amount or yield of something, often substantial.
Is "drag" used in technology?
Yes, in technology, "drag" can refer to moving objects on a screen, among other uses.
Can weather conditions affect hauling tasks?
Yes, adverse weather can complicate or hinder the process of hauling goods.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Counteractive vs. Counterproductive
Next Comparison
Basophil vs. EosinophilAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
