A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope.
Front of a MAN-based fire engine with a built-in winch, e.g. for towing damaged cars after an accident
Winch used on a fishing boat to bring in nets
Winching a car onto a tow truck
Glider winch. Winch spool can be seen on the side of the truck, while cables to the right of the image are attached to the glider(s) being launched
A hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wraps. It may be manually operated, electrically or pneumatically driven and may use
Winch
…for a pontoon bridge across the Hellespont in 480 BCE. Winches may have been employed even earlier in Assyria. By the 4th century BCE, winch and pulley hoists were regarded by Aristotle as common for architectural use (Mech. 18; 853b10-13). The yacht Reliance, American defender of the 1903 America's Cup, was…
A hand-powered hoist for lifting barrels, 1918
Builder's hoist, with small gasoline engine
A hoist on the Trump International Hotel & Tower-Chicago