plural barrels
1
a
: a round usually wooden container with curved sides and flat ends
Oak barrels are used for aging the wine.
an empty barrel
b
: the amount of something in a barrel
The price of oil is over 30 dollars a barrel.
They drank a whole barrel of beer.
2
: the part of a gun that the bullets go through when the gun is fired
the barrel of a gun
a rifle barrel
barrels; barreled also barrelled; barreling also barrelling
always followed by an adverb or preposition
US, informal
: to move very fast and often in an uncontrolled or dangerous way
The truck went barreling down Main Street.
She came running out of her office and went barreling past us down the hall.
Cite this Entry
“Barrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/barrel. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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