barrel

1 of 2

noun

bar·​rel ˈber-əl How to pronounce barrel (audio)
ˈba-rəl
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
2
a
: 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
e
: the flat, cylindrical metal box that encloses the mainspring of a timepiece
4
: the trunk of a quadruped
barreled
ˈber-əld How to pronounce barrel (audio)
ˈba-rəld
adjective

barrel

2 of 2

verb

barreled or barrelled; barreling or barrelling

transitive verb

: to put or pack in a barrel

intransitive verb

: to move at a high speed or without hesitation
Phrases
on the barrel
: asking for or granting no credit
over a barrel
: at a disadvantage : in an awkward position

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
This flagship wine is made from grapes sourced from the estate’s 95 acres of vines and uses only the best barrel lots in the final blend. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 But as the general election barrels toward a fierce 2020 rematch between President Biden and former President Trump — whether voters like it or not — Harris traveled back to the Bay Area to deliver a message about what’s at stake on the November ballot. Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 The bailiff reached over the witness stand to push the barrel toward the floor. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 The barrel room lies under a train trestle, and every time one of BNSF Railroad’s trains pass through — some 25,000 times per year — the vibrations gently shake the barrels, which helps the sediment settle out. Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 The joint venture in Guyana currently produces about 645,000 barrels of oil per day and plans are for that to increase to 1.2 million barrels per day by the end of 2027. Ed Hirs, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 When a rifle is equipped with the device, a coalition of gun violence prevention groups said, the shooter only needs to pull the trigger once and the gun will fire continuously, as long as the shooter keeps his trigger finger stationary and maintains forward pressure on the barrel. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2024 Grapes for his Lonely Heart Cab were grown in blocks 16 and 32 of the Quintessence vineyard in Red Mountain and after fermentation this 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 21 months in 87 percent new French oak barrels. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024 According to data from the Energy Information Administration, gasoline stocks in the U.S. have come down to 247 million barrels in the week ending Feb. 16, a decrease from 253 million barrels a month ago, while demand has steadily climbed up over the same time, to 8.33 million barrels per day. Brian Bushard, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
The whiskey was initially aged in bourbon and sherry casks and then finished in Valpolicella Classica wine barrels for an additional 16 months that were sourced from the Secondo Marco winery in Fumane. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 In what may be the most clichéd damsel-in-distress scene in any rom-com, wedding planner Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez) gets her Gucci heel stuck in a manhole cover at the same exact moment a rogue dumpster is barreling down a hilly San Francisco street, heading right toward her. Cristina Everett, EW.com, 9 Feb. 2024 European stocks are set to barrel ahead this year despite the continent’s anemic economy, and one of the world’s biggest banks is looking back to the ’90s to prove its confidence. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 6 Feb. 2024 Advertisement In December, a storm that barreled through Oxnard delivered a month’s worth of rain in less than an hour. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024 In one scene, a car barrels past, nearly killing a pedestrian; in another, law enforcement officers unexpectedly seize Almaz from behind. Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Feb. 2024 At night, the distant roar of waves barreling down onto the reef lulls the town to sleep. Daniel Cole, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2024 Lundell barreled down the left side of the ice, glided from the boards to the net and hesitated for just a beat longer than Joonas Korpisalo expected. David Wilson, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024 Seconds later, the train barrels into the 18-wheeler, destroying the cab and spreading debris across an adjacent parking lot. Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barrel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of barrel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near barrel

Cite this Entry

“Barrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrel. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

barrel

1 of 2 noun
bar·​rel ˈbar-əl How to pronounce barrel (audio)
1
: a round bulging container that is longer than it is wide and has flat ends
2
a
: the amount held by a barrel
b
: a great quantity
a barrel of laughs
3
: a part shaped like a cylinder or tube
gun barrel
the barrel of a carburetor
barreled adjective

barrel

2 of 2 verb
barreled or barrelled; barreling or barrelling
: to travel at a high speed
barreling down the highway

More from Merriam-Webster on barrel

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