catch and haul share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. catch means “discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state”. haul means “the act of drawing or hauling something”. catch is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkætʃ/
1.v.discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
“She caught her son eating candy”
2.v.perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily
“I caught the aroma of coffee”
3.v.reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot
“the rock caught her in the back of the head”
/ˈhɔl/
1.n.the act of drawing or hauling something
“the haul up the hill went very slowly”
2.n.the quantity that was caught
“the catch was only 10 fish”
3.v.draw slowly or heavily
“haul stones”
| catch | haul | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkætʃ/ | /ˈhɔl/ |
| Said | kach | hawl |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 5 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 39 | 4 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | draw, haulage |
Full entry for catch · Full entry for haul · More comparisons