barrels 1 of 2

plural of barrel
1
as in loads
a considerable amount a visit to an amusement park should be a barrel of laughs

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

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

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barrels

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of barrel

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 barrels
Noun
As Tuesday’s election barrels toward them, Becerra and Hilton traded barbs and barnstormed California in a relatively sedate race to succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom, who is wrapping up his final term as governor and considering a run for president. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026 Master distiller Owen Martin selected rye whiskeys aged between eight and 11 years, and finished some of them for 15 to 23 months in peach brandy barrels, and some of which for six to 12 months in toasted oak. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 1 Nov. 2026 The pipeline, which crosses the Straits of Mackinac, released about 31,000 barrels of mostly propane and butane into the atmosphere over the next four days, Enbridge said. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026 The Orange team opted to lean forward and put their hands on the barrels, while the Gray team did not. — Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2026 Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil struck a naval mine, exploded and caught fire while using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. — Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026 The world is facing a fuel crisis as Ukraine, Iran and Houthi militants attack refineries in Russia and the Middle East, reducing global capacity by millions of barrels per day. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026 On this day in 1605, English authorities caught a man in the cellar underneath the House of Lords in London, surrounded by (badly hidden) barrels of gunpowder. — Lucia Barnum, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2026 Saudi crude production fell below 7 million barrels a day for much of the war’s first six months, down from more than 10 million before the conflict, and recovered to about 8 million in September, according to the International Energy Agency. — Steven John, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
Surveillance video shows three vehicles circling the parking lot before a white Toyota Tacoma barrels through the storefront, shattering glass and sending employees running. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Negotiations over those details are likely to conclude easier if the different groups can reach agreement over insurance subrogation, as the session barrels into its final weekend. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Each episode barrels forward with the logic of a live-action cartoon, hijacking the visual language of everything from My Dinner With Andre to Dog Day Afternoon, while cramming in references to pop culture, video games, and Canadian esoterica. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026 The biggest question mark is connecting the dots from Guernsey, Wyoming to the Cushing, Oklahoma oil hub that ships barrels down to the Gulf Coast refining complexes and export terminals in Texas and Louisiana. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 13 May 2026 Read on to discover the best time to spot the fast-moving shooting stars as Earth barrels through the debris trail shed by Halley's Comet. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 May 2026 Working from his own screenplay, Cronin barrels over the gaping plot holes — a doctor might have some thoughts here — and gets to the good stuff with the family at home in squirm-inducing close quarters, a live-in demon resting in her bedroom. — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 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 Infielder Chris Hacopian barrels a ball, but Jaquae Stewart nabs it right before the warning track. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barrels
Noun
  • Cranes lift 200-ton loads at mountain bridge site The R4300-200 has a maximum lifting capacity of 200 metric tons (220 US tons) and an 80-meter jib (262 feet).
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Its remaining civil rights workers have described untenable case loads and pressure to dismiss complaints.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Thanks in part to that retirement party, Sacramento library patrons can check out hundreds of different pans, muffin tins and cookie cutters from the Shari Nichelini Cake Pan Library.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Its counters are crowded with plants and flowers in various states of decay, stacks of plates, fruit and Venezuelan snacks like tins of Pirulin cookies, all styled like a Dutch still life.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The stump itself won’t damage buried water lines, per se, but the roots can be ruthless with pipes.
    — Steven John, Architectural Digest, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Researchers with Harvard University and the University of California Berkeley who looked at the early 20th century found that cities using lead pipes had murder rates roughly 25% higher than those using iron water-service lines.
    — Richard Day, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Even as China races the United States for AI supremacy, Reuters has reported that China’s Moonshot AI is in talks with Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet for a share of the revenue those companies earn from hosting its Kimi K3 model.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The high pressure air in the Great Basin races downhill to the coast.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Preliminary estimates place the new submarine’s submerged displacement at approximately 10,100 tons.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Amazon is selling the Escape Wood Boho tiny home on wheels that has tons of storage.
    — Olivia Dubyak, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Each begins with drums pounding out a rhythm, often featuring a teetering syncopation, while more voices add their own frayed melodies.
    — Vanessa Ague, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026
  • This statement also permeates the work of rapper Alkoy, who on Valle Chakal Ki sampled idiosyncratic records from Salta, foregrounding the handmade drums and dramatic guitars that boom in every plaza.
    — Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • According to the distillery team, half of the barrels used for this release were ex-beer casks from local Seattle breweries; 40 percent were garryana wood; and 10 percent were ex-Cognac.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Storage casks therefore include ventilation openings that help dissipate heat.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Researchers have identified a new bacterial enzyme that speeds up the breakdown of polyesters and bioplastics.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • For health care CFOs, the challenge is distinguishing between an AI tool that speeds up billing and one that helps patients get the right care in the right setting—potentially changing the economics of care itself.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Barrels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barrels. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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