Overhaul

How to spell overhaul

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce overhaul

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does overhaul mean?

1. verbTo examine something thoroughly and make any repairs or changes needed.
2. nounA thorough examination, repair, or reform of something.

Overhaul in a sentence

• verb

  The mechanic will overhaul the engine before the long trip.

• noun

  The aircraft was grounded for a complete overhaul of its landing gear.

• verb

  The company plans to overhaul its entire payroll system this year.

• noun

  The tax code is due for a major overhaul next session.

Where does overhaul come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparently English compound, joining the prefix over-, here meaning 'thoroughly' or 'all over', with the verb haul, 'to pull or drag with force'. Haul itself is a variant of the older 'hale', which came into English from Old French haler 'to pull', a verb that traces back to a Germanic root for drawing or tugging. The word began life as nautical slang in the 1600s: to overhaul a rope or rigging meant to slacken it by hauling it apart along its whole length so it could be checked and reset. From that practical sense of pulling a system completely apart to inspect every part, the meaning broadened to any thorough examination and repair of machinery, and later to any complete reform of a process or organisation. The spelling is straightforward once you see the two real words inside it, with the 'au' supplied by haul rather than any tricky foreign element.

How the word is built

• over- (thoroughly, completely)
• haul (to pull or drag)