barrel 1 of 2

Definition of barrelnext
1
as in ton
a considerable amount a visit to an amusement park should be a barrel of laughs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in tin
a metal container in the shape of a cylinder a trash barrel

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in pipe
an enclosed wooden vessel for holding beverages barrels of fine wine aging in the winery's cellar

Synonyms & Similar Words

barrel

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barrel
Noun
Brent crude oil, the international standard, has gone from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times. Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 The activity was significantly higher than the average of 700,000 barrels sold during the same time period over the previous five trading days, according to Bloomberg. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
Its rumble barreled over crowds gathered at KSC’s press site drowning out cheers, hollers and the clicking sounds of cameras snapping away pictures of the liftoff. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026 But Lumet and screenwriter Frank Pierson ease up on the laughs as Sonny’s predicament grows more helpless, allowing the audience to feel his desperation as the drama barrels toward a tragic finale. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barrel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barrel
Noun
  • The underground excavation machine, weighing around 500 tons, is designed to dig vertical shafts through solid rock at depths previously difficult to reach using conventional mining techniques.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Companies that emit more than 100 tons of any pollutant in one year must apply for Title V permits.
    Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Keep reading to learn how to turn your muffin tins into multi-functional pieces of cookware.
    Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
  • That’s when Jack discovers the tin full of custom drugs that were left in their room by the demented chemistry major who used to live there (the reliably hilarious Sarah Sherman, appearing in a step-by-step YouTube tutorial about surviving the pills her character invented).
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Then, in January, a pipe burst during the extreme cold, which caused water to rain down inside the church as repairs were underway.
    Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Welsh had been researching chloride transport long before the gene was discovered, and some of those early results suggested the problem may have been in a channel, which is like a little pipe through a cell membrane.
    Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The paying public went from raucous to delirious on the next possession, when Curry raced downcourt and splashed a triple off the dribble.
    Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Leonard scored 13 points in the first quarter as the Clippers raced out to a double-digit lead and coasted against a Kings team that is playing out the string of a lost season.
    Oc Register, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Once transported to the canyon, the modular components were assembled and put into place using one of the world’s largest cable cranes (cranes that move loads while suspended on cables), which spanned the gorge between the two towers.
    Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
  • According to Archer Western, HDR’s design engineers failed to properly account for wind loads — including hurricane winds — in an initial, partial design for the signature bridge arches that the contractor used to calculate construction costs and time for its bid.
    Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • OpenAI’s ever-changing leadership team has long marched to the beat of its own drum, but the timing of the revelation is curious indeed.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
  • This tour, however, is no-Fats and also no-fat, with her and just a basic guitar-bass-drums lineup.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Radical changes announced in February by new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to speed up the country’s return to the moon could make the program more reliant on SpaceX on future launches.
    The Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
  • If the state approves these changes, New York City will be able to speed up too — our administration will ensure that rezoning applications can begin public review in six months or less.
    Leila Bozorg, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • More than a half-dozen potential candidates are speaking here to make inroads among Black leaders, one of Democrats' most powerful voting blocs.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Yet a new work from the guy who gave you Sex, Lies and Videotape — and Traffic, and Erin Brockovich, and Out of Sight, and Magic Mike, and Black Bag, and literally dozens of other movies that run the gamut from intriguing to flat-out brilliant — is still worth clearing your schedule for.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Barrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barrel. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on barrel

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster