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

Before the conflict, Brent was about $70 a barrel, but the fighting saw it peak at above $120.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

When the peace talks collapsed, the price climbed back up again to above $100 a barrel, but are now around $94.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The EIA reported a bigger-than-expected 4.5 million barrel draw in U.S. commercial crude oil stocks for last week, while the Department of Energy released another 3.1 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Europe’s largest airline, Ryanair, said winter jet-fuel prices of $140 per barrel are prompting it to cut capacity.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

The musket ball streaked out of the barrel like a comet, trailing flames and smoke.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis

Lagos-based Dangote Petroleum Refinery is aiming to raise funds to double its capacity to 1.4 million barrels a day, which would make it the world's largest refinery, surpassing Jamnagar in India.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

In California, stocks fell to 1.16 million barrels, down from 1.73 million barrels a year before, according to the California Energy Commission.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The Sea Lion oilfield, around 130 miles from the islands, contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The stolen barrels - which each would hold about 88 pints - had been destined for pubs, the force added.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

When the tide comes in, the big steel barrels will float up and lift the boat.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick

Christian Borel shouted as he barreled out of L’Auberge Provençale Inn and Restaurant chasing after the wine thieves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 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

She was cut off when a giant inflatable baby barreled into them.

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2025

“It’s three miles,” Frankie said, but after the next coach barreled past, he started walking.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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

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

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

“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

When Ritchson isn’t barreling through that summertime face-punching tour, he fronts pleasing if unchallenging straight-to-streaming romps like “Playdate” and “War Machine.”

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

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

A GMC truck slammed into a Mercedes SUV that was waiting for a parking spot along Venice Boulevard and then came barreling toward Stannard and Sadie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

The beagle comes barreling toward me, legs going lickety-split, long ears flopping, tail sticking up like a flagpole.

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

As the barrelling behemoth of true crime content continues to flourish, police departments across the US and abroad are turning to podcast production for help solving cold murder cases and other investigations.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

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

From Washington Times ● May 29, 2023

Florent, Frankie, and Barbara came barrelling in, but Joseph stopped them, too.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

Related Words

• cask
• cylinder
• drum
• pipe