barrelful

[ bar-uhl-fool ]

noun,plural bar·rel·fuls.
  1. the amount that a barrel can hold.

  2. any large quantity: a barrelful of jokes.

Origin of barrelful

1
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at barrel, -ful

usage note For barrelful

See -ful.

Words Nearby barrelful

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use barrelful in a sentence

  • I had only purchased one small basket of "Snows" when a large supply, almost a barrelful, came from a distant friend.

  • All knew that there was over a barrelful of the inflammable liquid in the tank on the upper deck.

    Virginia: The Old Dominion | Frank W. Hutchins and Cortelle Hutchins
  • As the balls exploded, a half-barrelful of flesh and hide was shot from each, leaving two gaping holes.

    A Journey in Other Worlds | John Jacob Astor
  • Look at old Jan Domeny, he hasn't an apple-tree in his garden, and yet he made a barrelful of cider this October.

    Thomas Hardy's Dorset | Robert Thurston Hopkins
  • On this occasion the vicar brought a barrelful, which he doled out into cone biscuits all through the afternoon.

    Across the Prairie in a Motor Caravan | Frances Halton Eva Hasell