barrel

UK /ˈbær.əl/ US /ˈber.əl/ Syllables: bar-rel

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A large, round container with curved sides, usually made of wood or metal, used to store liquids.

A barrel is a large round container with curved sides, usually made of wood or metal, used to store liquids such as wine, beer or oil. A barrel is wider in the middle and narrower at the top and bottom, held together by hoops. Barrels were once the main way to carry goods on ships. The word also names a unit for measuring oil, and the tube of a gun. The phrase a barrel of laughs means a lot of fun, and over a barrel means in a weak position.

"The wine was aged for two years in an oak barrel."

Meanings

A large, round container with curved sides, usually made of wood or metal, used to store liquids.
The tube of a gun.

Example sentences

"The farmer kept apples in a large wooden barrel."

Level A2, Meaning 1
"The price of a barrel of oil went up."

Level B1, Meaning 1
"The old wine barrel sat in the cellar."

Level A2, Meaning 1
"He looked down the barrel of the gun."

Level C1, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

cask

Look-alikes and common mistakes

cask : Cask is a general word for a barrel, often for wine. Barrel is more common in everyday speech.
keg : A keg is a small barrel, often for beer. A barrel is larger.

Word family and forms

Forms: barrels

barrelful barrel organ barrel roll

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "barrel".

a wooden barrel
a barrel of oil
an oil barrel
a wine barrel
the barrel of a gun
a barrel of laughs

Idioms and phrases

over a barrel: In a weak position with no choice.; "The shop had us over a barrel because it was the only one open."
a barrel of laughs: A lot of fun.; "The trip was not a barrel of laughs."

Origin

Barrel came into English in the 1200s and 1300s from Anglo-French baril and Old French baril. Its earlier origin is uncertain. One suggestion links it to a word for a bar, which would mean a container made of bars or staves.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

Also a unit for measuring oil, as in "a barrel of crude oil."

How to remember it

Barrel has a double r and a double l in the middle: bar-rel. The two rings hold the barrel together.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The farmer kept apples in a large wooden _____."

Answer: barrel

In your own words, what does "barrel" mean?