barrel roll

noun

1

: an airplane maneuver in which a complete revolution about the longitudinal axis is made

2

: a usually accidental occurrence in which a vehicle rolls completely over along its longitudinal axis

If the accident is violent enough to cause a couple of barrel rolls, the car will do so, despite the flaps.

—Connie Steele

barrel-roll verb, transitive + intransitive

He once flipped a car at 225 miles per hour and barrel-rolled another at 307 mph.

—Preston Lerner

Examples of barrel roll in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The app also supports Apple Pencil Pro capabilities like natural gestures, pressure sensitivity, tilt, barrel roll, squeeze, and hover, allowing creatives more control over tools and shortcuts. — Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 2 Nov. 2026

The Tesla soon launched itself from its position beneath the ramp's nearly horizontal ledge, executed a barrel roll in midair, and landed softly, all thanks to its SpaceX cold-gas thrusters. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

The Tesla Roadster performs a barrel roll over five of the company’s other EVs. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026

It's got some useful gestures including squeeze and barrel roll. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for barrel roll

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole