barrel

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

e : the flat, cylindrical metal box that encloses the mainspring of a timepiece

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 The price of Brent crude fell to an 18-year low in April, dropping below $20 a barrel. — Hanna Ziady, CNN, "BP will slash oil production by 40% and pour billions into green energy," 4 Aug. 2020 Within 24 hours of the crash, the May WTI contract had bounced back to about $10 a barrel. — Liam Vaughan, Bloomberg.com, "London Traders Hit $500 Million Jackpot When Oil Went Negative," 4 Aug. 2020 By March 23, oil prices had fallen to $21 a barrel. — Ashton Nichols, Dallas News, "‘We’ve never seen a decline of this magnitude’: Oil giant Exxon reports $1 billion-plus quarterly loss," 31 July 2020 The pandemic has every organized sports circuit over a barrel, but the NCAA in particular. — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, "Keeler: Can CSU Rams survive losing 2020 Rocky Mountain Showdown?," 18 July 2020 In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude oil dropped 45 cents to $40.10 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. — Jessica Menton, USA TODAY, "Stocks kick the week off higher on vaccine hopes," 13 July 2020 Wolfe reportedly admitted to being inside the Third Precinct the night of the fires, as well as pushing a wooden barrel into the flames, knowingly feeding the fire. — Breanna Edwards, Essence, "23-Year-Old Arrested In Connection With Fire At Minneapolis Police Station," 10 June 2020 Gold pulled back slightly amid a historic rally that has sent prices above $1,900 per ounce, while crude oil prices also slipped, with the benchmark Brent contract settling at just over $43 per barrel. — Rey Mashayekhi, Fortune, "Big Tech rallies even as the U.S. posts the largest GDP decline in history," 30 July 2020 Brent crude, the international price benchmark, shed 7 cents to $43.22 per barrel in London. — Jessica Menton, USA TODAY, "Stocks rise as investors bet on a recovery," 10 July 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Hurricane Isaias has regained strength and is now set to barrel up the entire East Coast, bringing with it wind and the potential for flooding. — Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, "Isaias strengthens to hurricane and is expected to drive damaging winds and rain up East Coast," 3 Aug. 2020 Another option is to barrel ahead at full throttle. — Josh Linkner, Detroit Free Press, "20 feet at a time. That's the best way to navigate the road ahead during uncertain times," 1 Aug. 2020 Christopher, age 8, was killed more than two decades ago, by a truck barreling through a crosswalk in front of his elementary school. — Karen Weintraub, STAT, "Her son died. Two decades later, she met the medical student who got his heart," 13 Mar. 2020 Last Tuesday, a Gemballa Mirage GT barrelled into a series of parked cars on a Manhattan street. — Alex Davies, Wired, "The Pandemic Could Be an Opportunity to Remake Cities," 13 Apr. 2020 While most were plain-barreled, 2 ¾ inch guns, the Heavy Duck model, with its solid rib, three-inch chamber, and steel magazine plug for extra weight, was the ultimate in waterfowl weaponry until the 3 ½-inch magnum came along. — Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, "15 Best Duck and Goose Guns Ever," 17 Sep. 2019 Mark Jackson spotted Miller barreling toward him and tossed the ball in. — Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star, "Inside Madison Square Garden when Reggie Miller's 8 points in 8.9 seconds echoed round the world," 2 May 2020 With the country barreling toward a likely recession ahead of November's election, Trump is eager to spur an economic revival, hoping to steady financial markets and restore some of the 16 million jobs already lost due to the pandemic. — Jonathan Lemire, Fortune, "Trump rules out Ivanka and Jared as he prepares to announce members of new panel to open U.S. economy," 14 Apr. 2020 With the front-runner looking suddenly diminished, voters cast their eyes left and right for options — like a quarterback trying to get rid of the ball while beefy linebackers are barreling toward him. — Mona Charen, National Review, "Biden’s Second Chance," 4 Mar. 2020

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.