Definition of barrel
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 measureb : a great quantity
3 : a drum or cylindrical part: such asa : the discharging tube of a gunb : the part of a fountain pen or of a pencil containing the ink or leadc : a cylindrical or tapering housing containing the optical components of a photographic-lens system and the iris diaphragmd : 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
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Examples of barrel in a Sentence
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
Origin and Etymology of barrel
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 2barricade
First Known Use: 14th century
barrel
Definition of barrel
barreled
orbarrelled
;barreling
orbarrelling
transitive verb
: to put or pack in a barrel
intransitive verb
: to move at a high speed or without hesitation
Examples of barrel in a Sentence
The truck went barreling down Main Street.
She came running out of her office and went barreling past us down the hall.
Origin and Etymology of barrel
verbal derivative of 1barrel
First Known Use: 15th century
BARREL Defined for English Language Learners
barrel
playDefinition of barrel for English Language Learners
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: a round usually wooden container with curved sides and flat ends
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: the amount of something in a barrel
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: the part of a gun that the bullets go through when the gun is fired
barrel
Definition of barrel for English Language Learners
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: to move very fast and often in an uncontrolled or dangerous way
BARREL Defined for Kids
Definition of barrel for Students
1 : a round container often with curved sides that is longer than it is wide and has flat ends
2 : the amount contained in a full barrel a barrel of water
3 : something shaped like a cylinder the barrel of a gun
Definition of barrel for Students
barreled
orbarrelled
;barreling
orbarrelling
: to move at a high speed
Learn More about barrel
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See words that rhyme with barrel Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for barrel Spanish Central: Translation of barrel Nglish: Translation of barrel for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of barrel for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about barrel
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