barrel

noun

bar·rel | \ ˈber-əl

, ˈba-rəl\

Definition of barrel

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a round bulging vessel of greater length than breadth that is usually made of staves bound with hoops and has flat ends of equal diameter

2a : the amount contained in a barrel especially : the amount (such as 31 gallons of fermented beverage or 42 gallons of petroleum) fixed for a certain commodity used as a unit of measure

b : a great quantity

3 : a drum or cylindrical part: such as

a : the discharging tube of a gun

b : the part of a fountain pen or of a pencil containing the ink or lead

c : a cylindrical or tapering housing containing the optical components of a photographic-lens system and the iris diaphragm

d : the fuel outlet from the carburetor on a gasoline engine

4 : the trunk of a quadruped

on the barrel

: asking for or granting no credit

over a barrel

: at a disadvantage : in an awkward position

barrel

verb

barreled or barrelled; barreling or barrelling

Definition of barrel (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to put or pack in a barrel

intransitive verb

: to move at a high speed or without hesitation

Other Words from barrel Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about barrel

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Examples of barrel in a Sentence

Noun

Oak barrels are used for aging the wine. The price of oil is over 30 dollars a barrel. They drank a whole barrel of beer. the barrel of a gun

Verb

The truck went barreling down Main Street. She came running out of her office and went barreling past us down the hall.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Some traditional spirits are aged in their barrels for more than 20 years; these companies want the same results in far less time. — Alan Goldfarb, The Verge, "Artificial whiskey is coming, and one company is betting you’ll drink up," 23 Aug. 2018 About half the structure holding the rest of the barrels was still standing, said Milt Spalding, a spokesman for the local emergency management agency. — Bloomberg.com, "Kentucky Bourbon Warehouse Collapses, Spilling 9,000 Barrels of Whiskey," 22 June 2018 That's a big attraction at a time when drillers in the Permian have been forced to sell their barrels at steep discounts to account for a lack of shipping capacity. — Alex Nussbaum, Houston Chronicle, "Aging oil play getting new life," 15 June 2018 The problem with glue sticks is that their barrels and caps are made of plastic. — Steve Rubenstein, San Francisco Chronicle, "Berkeley 3rd-graders sustain no-waste classroom; 180 days’ trash fits in mason jar," 14 June 2018 Brown-Forman is perhaps the only bourbon producer that crafts its own barrels, using techniques that have remained largely the same for decades. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Old Forester puts its rich history on display at its now-open distillery," 14 June 2018 Castle and Key’s bourbon barrels are still aging and may not have their first batch until 2020. — Carisha Swanson, House Beautiful, "5 Things You Must Do In Kentucky," 3 May 2019 The dinner-only restaurant, the sibling to Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars, has 288 seats and hundreds of labels in its wine collection and barrel-aged cocktail classics. — Michael Klein, Philly.com, "New dining options at Atlantic City's casinos include Garces and Hard Rock," 27 June 2018 But gas prices tend to lag behind the oil markets for a few days and prices have been dropping even while the cost for a barrel of crude oil shot up about 5 percent last week to settle at $68.58 last week. — Kyle Arnold, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando gas prices expected to rise again with oil volatility," 25 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Residents walk along destroyed stalls at a public market due to strong winds as Typhoon Mangkhut barreled across Tuguegrao city in Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. — Aaron Favila And Joeal Calupitan, Fox News, "Philippines checking typhoon's damage, casualties amid rains," 15 Sep. 2018 Max Muncy barreled up a ball in the sixth inning that many in the crowd of 49,541 thought was gone. — Mike Digiovanna, latimes.com, "Dodgers fall 4-1 to Giants, fail to complete series sweep," 18 June 2018 In the third inning of Wednesday's game, a skirmish ensued after Kemp barreled over Chirinos trying to score from second base, sparking the benches to clear. — Scott Boeck, USA TODAY, "MLB suspends Matt Kemp, Robinson Chirinos for on-field skirmish," 15 June 2018 The grim prediction follows one year after Hurricane Harvey barreled into the Texas coast, making landfall as a Category 4 storm. — Andrea Zelinski, Houston Chronicle, "Trump claims Texans were on boats watching Harvey," 6 June 2018 On Sunday morning, Mangkhut was barreling toward densely populated southern China and Hong Kong, where authorities raised the highest storm warnings and moved nearly a half-million people to shelter from seven cities. — Fox News, "Typhoon Mangkhut death toll climbs in Philippines," 15 Sep. 2018 But Holter’s train still is barreling down the track called mortality. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "'The Light Fantastic' is Ike Holter's 'Stranger Things' kind of thriller," 16 May 2018 Preparations for a high-risk North Korea summit are barreling forward. — Time, "John Bolton Takes the Lead as National Security Adviser as Tensions Mount Abroad," 10 Apr. 2018 In the third inning of Wednesday’s game, Kemp barreled over Chirinos at home while trying to score. — Bill Shaikin, latimes.com, "Dodgers' Matt Kemp shocked by one-game suspension," 16 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barrel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for barrel

Noun

Middle English barayl, barel, borrowed from Anglo-French barel, baril (continental Old French barril), going back to Gallo-Romance *barrīculus, probably diminutive of *barrīca "cask, barrel" — more at barricade entry 2

Verb

verbal derivative of barrel entry 1

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