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haul in

B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

To pull something or someone inside with effort, or to earn a lot of money.

Literal meaning: To drag a heavy load inward.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To pull something heavy, such as a fishing net or rope, toward you and inward.

"The fishermen hauled in their nets before the storm hit."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 idiomatic informal

To earn or receive a large amount of money.

"The blockbuster film hauled in over $200 million in its opening weekend."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal

To bring a person to a place of authority, especially for questioning or arrest.

"The suspect was hauled in for questioning after his car was seen near the crime scene."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Used literally in fishing (haul in a catch), nautical contexts, and for bringing people to authority. The figurative sense of earning money is common in informal American English. Police use it to mean arresting or summoning someone.

Commonly used with

catch net fish profit revenue suspect

Forms

Base
haul in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hauls in
he/she/it
Past simple
hauled in
yesterday
Past participle
hauled in
have + pp
-ing form
hauling in
continuous

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