barrel
Americannoun
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a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides made of staves hooped together, and with flat, parallel ends.
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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
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any large quantity.
a barrel of fun.
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any container, case, or part similar to a wooden barrel in form.
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Ordnance. the tube of a gun.
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Machinery. the chamber of a pump in which the piston works.
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a drum turning on a shaft, as in a weight-driven clock.
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Horology. the cylindrical case in a watch or clock within which the mainspring is coiled.
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Ornithology Obsolete. a calamus or quill.
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the trunk of a quadruped, especially of a horse, cow, etc.
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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.
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a rotating horizontal cylinder in which manufactured objects are coated or polished by tumbling in a suitable substance.
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any structure having the form of a barrel vault.
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Also called throat. Automotive. a passageway in a carburetor that has the shape of a Venturi tube.
verb (used with object)
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to put or pack in a barrel or barrels.
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to finish (metal parts) by tumbling in a barrel.
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Informal. to force to go or proceed at high speed.
He barreled his car through the dense traffic.
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
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a cylindrical container usually bulging outwards in the middle and held together by metal hoops; cask
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Also called: barrelful. the amount that a barrel can hold
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a unit of capacity used in brewing, equal to 36 Imperial gallons
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a unit of capacity used in the oil and other industries, normally equal to 42 US gallons or 35 Imperial gallons
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a thing or part shaped like a barrel, esp a tubular part of a machine
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the tube through which the projectile of a firearm is discharged
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horology the cylindrical drum in a watch or clock that is rotated by the mainspring
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the trunk of a four-legged animal
the barrel of a horse
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the quill of a feather
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informal a large measure; a great deal (esp in the phrases barrel of fun, barrel of laughs )
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informal the hollow inner side of a wave
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informal powerless
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informal to be forced to use one's last and weakest resource
verb
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(tr) to put into a barrel or barrels
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informal (intr; foll by along, in, etc) (intr) to travel or move very fast
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informal to ride on the inside of a wave
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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barrelsimple
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barrelssimple
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have barreledperfect
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have barrelledperfect
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has barreledperfect
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has barrelledperfect
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am barrelingprogressive
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am barrellingprogressive
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are barrelingprogressive
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are barrellingprogressive
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is barrelingprogressive
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is barrellingprogressive
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have been barrelingperfect progressive
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have been barrellingperfect progressive
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has been barrelingperfect progressive
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has been barrellingperfect progressive
Past
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barreledsimple
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barrelledsimple
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had barreledperfect
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had barrelledperfect
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was barrelingprogressive
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was barrellingprogressive
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were barrelingprogressive
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were barrellingprogressive
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had been barrelingperfect progressive
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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
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"After Apple-Picking" by Robert Frost
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I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888
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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:
And prices remain well below their March highs above $118 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Oil prices were little changed, with Brent crude trading near $85 a barrel, as markets assessed the latest developments in the U.S.-Iran standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
He expects crude futures be anywhere from $70 a barrel to $80 a barrel this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
“And if you have a $70 to $80 barrel for oil, you know, all these refining companies, they’re gonna do very, very well.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Me and Lloyd had a fire going under the big barrel out in the lot.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Meanwhile, sizing studies done on the SPR in the 1970s recommended an inventory minimum of 250 million barrels.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Oil stocks at Cushing, Okla., the Nymex delivery hub, rose by 430,000 barrels to 20 million barrels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The Trump administration exchanged barrels released from the SPR for lower-cost barrels that will be delivered back to the reserve starting early next year, the statement said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Oil stored in the SPR was down by 3 million barrels at 316.5 million barrels, the smallest weekly withdrawal since the beginning of April.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“I was on my way to get the other Zetas. I ran into Nyla. She asked if I’d seen you near the stasis gel barrels in the hold.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
The host country opened two 180-second windows for fans to fuel up, and they’ve barreled right through them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Eastern time Sunday as a winter storm barreled across the Midwest.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
She was cut off when a giant inflatable baby barreled into them.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2025
Until “Vagrants,” the drama’s fifth episode, Pelphrey and Ruffalo hadn’t shared a scene together; Tom and Robbie barreled along parallel tracks destined to cross.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2025
My mother barreled up the stairs a couple minutes later.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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
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
Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to strike Jamaica in modern history, barrelled across the country on Tuesday, leaving behind a trail of ruin.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025
As the dog-headed men barrelled forward, Nico raised his sword.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
As a highway patrol officer hit the lights and sirens, and repeatedly said “Stop, Waymo,” over a speaker, the AV kept barreling forward toward the construction vehicles and workers, Slade said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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
Airlines canceled thousands of flights because of a winter storm barreling up the East Coast, but that’s not the only thing spreading chaos across the air travel industry.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
I have literally just dragged myself into the tangle of hushes at the base of the trees when there's Cato, barreling onto the plain, soon followed by his companions.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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
It’s not enough to come barrelling into a conversation with a long-winded explanation of your personal dogma; you must also confidently push the value of those ideas, too.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
An "extremely dangerous" hurricane is barrelling towards Mexico's Pacific coast, forecasters have warned.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2023
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
Definitions 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.
