barrelful

American  

[bar-uhl-fool] / ˈbær əlˌfʊl /

noun

barrelfuls plural

1. the amount that a barrel can hold.

2. any large quantity.

   a barrelful of jokes.

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Spelling

See -ful.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• barrelfuls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of barrelful

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barrelful barrelfuls

Still, the Seahawks might not have won if not for a barrelful of mistakes by the Cardinals.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2023

Consider the city’s official reaction to the barrelful of misconduct in Queens that a group of law professors recently brought to light.

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2021

“You might say, it’s a little bit of water, just a barrelful, how much damage could that do to someone downstream?”

From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2015

Then Sergei decides to skip a few shifts to go catch them a barrelful of fresh Arctic trout, and while he's away Pasha receives an emergency radio message delivering terrible news.

From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2011

“Well, that was a whole barrelful of awkward,” I say.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

It was affirmed, none the less, that one barrel of the original stuff was more than enough for three barrelfuls of the bottled product.

From South Wind by Douglas, Norman

Even with this highest incentive, Mr. White tells us that dozens of barrelfuls of manuscript were rejected; and not one patriot was found whose principles—as expressed in his poetry—were worth that much money!

From Four Years in Rebel Capitals An Inside View of Life in the Southern Confederacy from Birth to Death by DeLeon, T. C.

"By the time Nan's ready," he said, having at that point asked her intermittently for several years, "I shall be getting barrelfuls out of my plays."

From Old Crow by Brown, Alice

Here there were basketfuls, boxfuls, bucketfuls, barrelfuls, wagonloads—the whole street was crowded with wagons, and every wagon heaped high with the crimson and yellow fruit.

From The Car That Went Abroad Motoring Through the Golden Age by Paine, Albert Bigelow