barrel
Americannoun
-
barrels
plural
-
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides made of staves hooped together, and with flat, parallel ends.
-
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
-
any large quantity.
a barrel of fun.
-
any container, case, or part similar to a wooden barrel in form.
-
Ordnance. the tube of a gun.
-
Machinery. the chamber of a pump in which the piston works.
-
a drum turning on a shaft, as in a weight-driven clock.
-
Horology. the cylindrical case in a watch or clock within which the mainspring is coiled.
-
Ornithology Obsolete. a calamus or quill.
-
the trunk of a quadruped, especially of a horse, cow, etc.
-
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.
-
a rotating horizontal cylinder in which manufactured objects are coated or polished by tumbling in a suitable substance.
-
any structure having the form of a barrel vault.
-
Also called throat. Automotive. a passageway in a carburetor that has the shape of a Venturi tube.
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)
-
to put or pack in a barrel or barrels.
-
to finish (metal parts) by tumbling in a barrel.
-
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)
idioms
noun
-
a cylindrical container usually bulging outwards in the middle and held together by metal hoops; cask
-
Also called: barrelful. the amount that a barrel can hold
-
a unit of capacity used in brewing, equal to 36 Imperial gallons
-
a unit of capacity used in the oil and other industries, normally equal to 42 US gallons or 35 Imperial gallons
-
a thing or part shaped like a barrel, esp a tubular part of a machine
-
the tube through which the projectile of a firearm is discharged
-
horology the cylindrical drum in a watch or clock that is rotated by the mainspring
-
the trunk of a four-legged animal
the barrel of a horse
-
the quill of a feather
-
informal a large measure; a great deal (esp in the phrases barrel of fun, barrel of laughs )
-
informal the hollow inner side of a wave
-
informal powerless
-
informal to be forced to use one's last and weakest resource
verb
-
(tr) to put into a barrel or barrels
-
informal (intr; foll by along, in, etc) (intr) to travel or move very fast
-
informal to ride on the inside of a wave
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
barrelsimple
-
barrelssimple
-
have barreledperfect
-
have barrelledperfect
-
has barreledperfect
-
has barrelledperfect
-
am barrelingprogressive
-
am barrellingprogressive
-
are barrelingprogressive
-
are barrellingprogressive
-
is barrelingprogressive
-
is barrellingprogressive
-
have been barrelingperfect progressive
-
have been barrellingperfect progressive
-
has been barrelingperfect progressive
-
has been barrellingperfect progressive
Past
-
barreledsimple
-
barrelledsimple
-
had barreledperfect
-
had barrelledperfect
-
was barrelingprogressive
-
was barrellingprogressive
-
were barrelingprogressive
-
were barrellingprogressive
-
had been barrelingperfect progressive
-
had been barrellingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing barrel
Out of the Dust
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"After Apple-Picking" by Robert Frost
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Oil prices have jumped from around $70 a barrel before the Iran war to around $105 a barrel now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Jackson’s remains were found on May 1, 2022, in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
During the demo, which was livestreamed on Tesla's X account, the car launched from a steep steel ramp and performed a full barrel roll in mid-air before landing on its wheels.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Brent crude oil prices slipped around 0.3% but held above $105 a barrel as traders weighed plans from the International Energy Agency to accelerate the release of around 100 million barrels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
He felt like a castaway clinging to a barrel in a stormy ocean.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
Brent crude oil prices slipped around 0.3% but held above $105 a barrel as traders weighed plans from the International Energy Agency to accelerate the release of around 100 million barrels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
About 12.6 million barrels per day went through the strait on 13 October, below the 15 million reported at the end of September, data from trade intelligence firm Kpler shows.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
But the shipments amount to just over 100,000 barrels a day in October and about 125,000 barrels a day in November, compared with roughly 800,000 barrels a day that Russia exported last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
This compares with a pre-war baseline of some 17 million barrels per day.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In one of Kepler’s lesser-known works, Volume-Measurement of Barrels, he does this in three dimensions, slicing barrels into planes and summing the planes together.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
The eye of the storm barreled over the peninsular fishing village of Las Barrancas, which was largely unreachable after a swollen river caused a highway bridge to collapse.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
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
She said she grabbed her 5-year-old, Zachary, pulling him to safety as the SUV driven by Erickson barreled through the marked crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Eastern time Sunday as a winter storm barreled across the Midwest.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
Hannah finally heard the commandant’s car, then saw it as it barreled toward them, down the long bare avenue between the barracks.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
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
The American had the crowd on his side but Zverev's serve was unrelenting and he barrelled into a 5-1 lead in the third set.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
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
Then, concealing the short barrelled weapon under his army coat, he flagged down the payroll Land Rover and asked for a lift back to the barracks.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2025
As the dog-headed men barrelled forward, Nico raised his sword.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
That sentiment was particularly pronounced in tech, where companies are barreling ahead with a gargantuan artificial-intelligence build-out despite concerns about the costs — and the occasional rogue AI agent.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
As college football makes its grand return, the entire sport is barreling straight into uncharted territory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
“It’s clear from experience with Waymo that these autonomous vehicles can’t deal with unanticipated circumstances, so we are certainly cautioning about the dangers of 26,000 pounds barreling down the highways at 65 miles per hour.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Brewers, who reside in the sport’s smallest media market, are barreling toward their fourth consecutive division crown and eighth postseason appearance in nine seasons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
I’d read lots of stories about the trains barreling through Chicago—“More than a hundred a day!” boasted the newspapers—and the hazards they posed for anything in their way.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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 walls shifted and Leo saw her barrelling towards them in her chariot.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
