barrel

American  

[bar-uhl] / ˈbær əl /

noun

• barrels
  plural

1. a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides made of staves hooped together, and with flat, parallel ends.

2. the quantity that such a vessel of some standard size can hold: for most liquids, 31½ U.S. gallons (119 L); for petroleum, 42 U.S. gallons (159 L); for dry materials, 105 U.S. dry quarts (115 L). bbl

3. any large quantity.

   a barrel of fun.

4. any container, case, or part similar to a wooden barrel in form.

5. Ordnance. the tube of a gun.

6. Machinery. the chamber of a pump in which the piston works.

7. a drum turning on a shaft, as in a weight-driven clock.

8. Horology. the cylindrical case in a watch or clock within which the mainspring is coiled.

9. Ornithology Obsolete. a calamus or quill.

10. the trunk of a quadruped, especially of a horse, cow, etc.

11. Nautical. the main portion of a capstan, about which the rope winds, between the drumhead at the top and the pawl rim at the bottom.

12. a rotating horizontal cylinder in which manufactured objects are coated or polished by tumbling in a suitable substance.

13. any structure having the form of a barrel vault.

14. Also called throat.  Automotive. a passageway in a carburetor that has the shape of a Venturi tube.

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verb (used with object)

• barrels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• barreled,
  past participle,  past
• barrelled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• barreling,
  present participle
• barrelling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to put or pack in a barrel or barrels.

2. to finish (metal parts) by tumbling in a barrel.

3. Informal. to force to go or proceed at high speed.

   He barreled his car through the dense traffic.

verb (used without object)

• barrels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• barreled,
  past participle,  past
• barrelled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• barreling,
  present participle
• barrelling
  present participle (especially British)

1. Informal. to travel or drive very fast.

   to barrel along the highway.

idioms

1. over a barrel, in a helpless, weak, or awkward position; unable to act.

   They really had us over a barrel when they foreclosed the mortgage.

barrel British  

/ ˈbærəl /

noun

1. a cylindrical container usually bulging outwards in the middle and held together by metal hoops; cask

2. Also called: barrelful.  the amount that a barrel can hold

3. a unit of capacity used in brewing, equal to 36 Imperial gallons

4. a unit of capacity used in the oil and other industries, normally equal to 42 US gallons or 35 Imperial gallons

5. a thing or part shaped like a barrel, esp a tubular part of a machine

6. the tube through which the projectile of a firearm is discharged

7. horology the cylindrical drum in a watch or clock that is rotated by the mainspring

8. the trunk of a four-legged animal

   the barrel of a horse

9. the quill of a feather

10. informal a large measure; a great deal (esp in the phrases barrel of fun, barrel of laughs )

11. informal the hollow inner side of a wave

12. informal powerless

13. informal to be forced to use one's last and weakest resource

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verb

1. (tr) to put into a barrel or barrels

2. informal (intr; foll by along, in, etc) (intr) to travel or move very fast

3. informal to ride on the inside of a wave

barrel More Idioms  

1. see both barrels; bottom of the barrel; cash on the barrelhead; like shooting fish in a barrel; lock, stock, and barrel; more fun than a barrel of monkeys; over a barrel; pork barrel; rotten apple (spoils the barrel).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-barrel
  noun
• unbarreled
  adjective
• unbarrelled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• barrels
  plural

Participles

• barreling
  present
• barrelling
  present
• barreled
  past
• barrelled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• barrel
  simple
• barrels
  simple
• have barreled
  perfect
• have barrelled
  perfect
• has barreled
  perfect
• has barrelled
  perfect
• am barreling
  progressive
• am barrelling
  progressive
• are barreling
  progressive
• are barrelling
  progressive
• is barreling
  progressive
• is barrelling
  progressive
• have been barreling
  perfect progressive
• have been barrelling
  perfect progressive
• has been barreling
  perfect progressive
• has been barrelling
  perfect progressive

Past

• barreled
  simple
• barrelled
  simple
• had barreled
  perfect
• had barrelled
  perfect
• was barreling
  progressive
• was barrelling
  progressive
• were barreling
  progressive
• were barrelling
  progressive
• had been barreling
  perfect progressive
• had been barrelling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will barrel
  simple
• will have barreled
  perfect
• will have barrelled
  perfect
• will be barreling
  progressive
• will be barrelling
  progressive
• will have been barreling
  perfect progressive
• will have been barrelling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of barrel

1250–1300; Middle English barell < Anglo-French baril, Old French barril < Vulgar Latin *barrīculum, equivalent to *barrīc ( a ), perhaps derivative of Late Latin barra bar ¹ + Latin -ulum -ule; compare Medieval Latin (circa 800) barriclus small cask

Explanation

A barrel is a big container used to store liquids. If you're moving a barrel, it's best to tip it on its side because its shape bulges at the center, so that it's easy to roll. Barrels hold liquid in them — anything from wine to beer to oil. A barrel can also be the tube in a gun that a bullet travels through. You might hear the expression "stare down the barrel of a gun," which means you're looking at a gun pointed right at your face. A barrel is also used as a unit of measure or to refer to a large unit of measure. When someone says they are having "barrels of fun," they're having a really great time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barrel barrels barreled barrelled barreling barrelling

The New York-headquartered investment bank has raised its year-end forecast for Brent crude from $83 a barrel to a new target of $95 a barrel.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Brent is higher on Tuesday and was last up 1.4% at $101.75 per barrel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

The price of a barrel of oil has risen to about $91, compared with $73 before hostilities began earlier this year.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

WTI contracts also changed course, falling by more than 1% to trade below $94 a barrel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

We were out of breath by the rain barrel, but that was no place to pause.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

She recommends placing rain barrels at those downspouts to capture the concentrated flow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Kpler estimates that redirecting 3 million barrels a day of Saudi crude would require an additional 36 to 40 very large crude carriers under its base case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

A drone attack that heavily damaged one of Saudi Arabia’s pipelines is expected to cause crude oil exports to fall by 400,000 barrels per day this month alone.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

Dangote's sprawling refinery on the outskirts of Lagos, which began operating two years ago and now processes around 700,000 barrels of crude a day, has transformed the fortunes of Nigeria's oil sector.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

We spent the morning in assigned chores: gathering water from the rain barrels to boil, coaxing the small vegetables in the garden to stay alive, washing clothes, checking the trap lines.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

In the next 50 seconds or so, Nicolson barreled through precarious gaps in the blurry landscaping, through a tunnel of hay bales and rock walls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

“Overall, I thought we had some good at-bats and barreled up some balls,” Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker said after a 4-1 loss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

Perrotin shouted late Tuesday as he barreled into his gallery’s late-night garden party for the artist at Venice’s Hotel Metropole.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

Eastern time Sunday as a winter storm barreled across the Midwest.

From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026

A set of stairs curved deeper into the earth, the barreled ceiling held up by more repeating arches, closer together and carved from polished black stone.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Police are investigating a dramatic crash Tuesday where an SUV drove onto the sidewalk and barrelled into a vendor in downtown Los Angeles’ flower district, injuring six people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

Red-hot teenager Iva Jovic barrelled into her first Grand Slam quarter-final for the loss of just one game on Sunday to set up a blockbuster Australian Open clash with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026

The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025

Will Smith barrelled up a splitter Gausman left just high enough to trade places with Edman on an RBI double to left.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

A dozen centaurs barrelled through the ranks, yelling and waving their clubs, followed by a horde of two-headed men banging on trash-can lids.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

You don’t need to be rich to burn the road behind you to the point of no return, just confident enough to keep barreling forward.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Convoys of heavy-duty trucks barreling across the Arabian desert have become an escape valve for the global economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

Because everyone also knows Antetokounmpo is at his best when he’s barreling toward the rim with the ball in his hands — during which time Doncic is going to be doing what?

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

The virtual reality therapist ‘Xaia’ is an example of how AI technology is barreling its way into the burgeoning digital health sector.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

Sweeney fought without style, without science, with nothing but enthusiasm for the fight itself: huge, barreling roundhouse blows that missed as often as they connected.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

And so, on we go, barrelling toward the next general election, which must take place by 2029 but will likely be sooner.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

Some rushing made sense — deadlines, the Red Line train barrelling toward the platform — but other times, it was just habit.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2025

Their line-out was a bit of a mess, their handling was suspect at times, but they kept barrelling on.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2024

Some 80 surfers could work different waves simultaneously: barrelling waves, big waves, kid-friendly waves, Knieriem said.

From Washington Times ● May 29, 2023

The barking dog he’d heard before got louder, and suddenly a white blur came barrelling through the snow.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

Related Words

• cask
• cylinder
• drum
• pipe