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
Crude oil prices typically rise at this time of year and have reached prices of more than $80 per barrel, which filters down to the retail level where drivers buy their gas, said Doug Shupe, Auto Club spokesman. Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 All of this, combined with low crude inventories worldwide, has pushed WTI crude oil prices up roughly 17% this year to more than $83 per barrel. Will Daniel, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 The Petit Verdot wine was fortified with brandy and aged four years in barrel. The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2024 Last year, American companies pumped 13 million barrels each day on average, a record that had made the United States the largest crude oil producer in the world, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Earlier last week, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia, collectively known as OPEC+, extended their agreement to reduce production by 2.2 million barrels per day into the second quarter of 2024. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 To try to cap the price of Russian oil exports, the G-7 prevented these companies from insuring Russian crude oil cargoes unless they had been sold at a maximum of $60 per barrel. Jami Miscik, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2024 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
Verb
Boll could do nothing but wait for news in Harbor Grace as Earhart barreled toward the United Kingdom. Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 Authorities tell Fox News Digital Bracho, 33, was barreling down the highway the wrong way, going 70 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024 But throughout the trial, Buzbee continued to point the finger at Erickson, who was the first to barrel through the crosswalk. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 Authorities say Lightfoot barreled down Benton Boulevard in a white Ford, failing to stop for the red light. Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2024 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

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 28 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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