barrel
Americannoun
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barrels
plural
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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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barrels,
present (3rd person singular)
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barreled,
past participle, past
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barrelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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barreling,
present participle
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barrelling
present participle (especially British)
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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)
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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
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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
-
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
-
were barrellingprogressive
-
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:
Front-month WTI crude oil futures are 0.3% lower at $103.32 a barrel, while front-month Brent crude oil futures are down 0.2% at $109.36 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Oil prices edged up, with Brent hovering around $110 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate near $104, amid worries over Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Oil prices rose as concerns over supply disruption risks persisted, with front-month Brent crude oil futures up 0.3% at $109.89 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
A recovery in artificial intelligence stocks faltered while benchmark oil prices jumped above $111 a barrel, as investors once again pulled back from risk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
He ran to another kid whose arm was elbow deep in a barrel of fruity Tootsie Rolls—a candy neither Fred nor I bothered with.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
The United States consumes 3.9 million barrels of diesel a day, whereas the accord with Moscow initially concerns 2.22 million barrels total -- barely enough for half a day of US consumption.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
Members have pledged to expedite the remaining releases of around 100 million barrels, including around 20 million barrels of diesel, the IEA said.
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
It handled about 8 million barrels of crude oil and oil products a day last year, enough to supply Japan, Germany, France and the U.K. combined.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
When our barrels are close to empty, Captain Smith goes to trade with the natives for grain.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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
Eastern time Sunday as a winter storm barreled across the Midwest.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
On one run in the third quarter, Hernando barreled to the ground after a 10-yard gain — writhing in pain , forcing an injury timeout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2025
Kathy was resting and the kids were in the back as they barreled through New Mexico.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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
A firearm is defined as a lethal barrelled weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 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
“I feel like we were always barreling towards a book,” Weber says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The release of new wearables underscores how one of the world’s largest tech companies is barreling forward in the AI race even as tech workers and politicians call for the industry to slow down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 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
Mark did the same and followed him out into the clearing, certain that a Berg was going to come barreling in with dart guns over their heads any second.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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 barking dog he’d heard before got louder, and suddenly a white blur came barrelling through the snow.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
