# hale

/ˈheɪɫ/ (US) · /hˈeɪl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hale
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. healthy and strong

adjective · CEFR C2 · Literary

strong and healthy, especially when used to describe an older person.

For teachers: sound and robust in health; typically used in the fixed phrase 'hale and hearty' to describe vigorous elderly individuals.

- Even at eighty years old, my grandfather remained hale and hearty.
- The explorer was remarkably hale for his age, possessing a physical constitution that put men half his age to shame.

Usage: Commonly appears in the coordinated phrase 'hale and hearty'.

### 2. to pull forcibly

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

to pull or drag someone or something with a lot of force.

For teachers: to haul, pull, or drag something or someone, often with significant effort or against resistance.

- The guards were ordered to hale the prisoner before the king.
- The angry mob attempted to hale the suspect through the narrow streets toward the magistrate's office.

Usage: Takes a direct object; often used in legal or historical contexts regarding dragging someone to court.

### 3. health or welfare

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

an old word for health or well-being.

For teachers: a state of health, safety, or general welfare.

- The old songs often wished for the hale and happiness of the village.
- The ancient documents recorded the king's concern for the hale of his subjects during the long winter months.

Usage: Uncountable; almost entirely replaced by 'health' in modern English.

## Examples

- My grandfather is eighty years old but still hale and hearty.
- Despite his advanced age, the retired captain remained hale enough to sail his small boat every morning.
- The portrait depicted a hale gentleman in his twilight years, whose bright eyes and upright posture suggested a life spent in vigorous outdoor pursuit.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.