barrel

bar·rel

 (băr′əl)

n.

1. A large cylindrical container, usually made of staves bound together with hoops, with a flat top and bottom of equal diameter.

2. The quantity that a barrel with a given or standard capacity will hold.

3. Abbr. bar. or bbl. or bl. Any of various units of volume or capacity. In the US Customary System it varies, as a liquid measure, from 31 to 42 gallons (117 to 159 liters) as established by law or usage.

4. A cylindrical or hollow part, especially:

a. The thicker portion of a baseball bat, from which the most powerful hits are struck.

b. The cylindrical part of a firearm through which the bullet travels.

c. A cylinder that contains a movable piston.

d. The drum of a capstan.

e. The cylinder within the mechanism of a timepiece that contains the mainspring.

5. The trunk of a quadruped animal, such as a horse or cow.

6. The tubular space inside a wave when it is breaking.

7. Informal A large quantity: a barrel of fun.

8. Slang An act or instance of moving rapidly, often recklessly, in a motor vehicle.

adj.

Resembling or similar to a barrel, as in shape: a barrel chest; barrel hips.

v. bar·reled, bar·rel·ing, bar·rels or bar·relled or bar·rel·ling

v.tr.

To put or pack in a barrel.

v.intr. Informal

To move or progress rapidly: "That the European Union barreled ahead was not surprising" (Richard W. Stevenson).

Idioms:

on the barrel/barrelhead

Granting, giving, or requesting no credit: paid cash on the barrel for the car.

over a barrel

In a very awkward position from which extrication is difficult: During the negotiations the opposing faction had us over a barrel.

---

[Middle English barel, from Old French baril.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

barrel

(ˈbærəl)

n

1. a cylindrical container usually bulging outwards in the middle and held together by metal hoops; cask

2. Also called: barrelful the amount that a barrel can hold

3. (Units) a unit of capacity used in brewing, equal to 36 Imperial gallons

4. (Units) a unit of capacity used in the oil and other industries, normally equal to 42 US gallons or 35 Imperial gallons

5. a thing or part shaped like a barrel, esp a tubular part of a machine

6. (Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) the tube through which the projectile of a firearm is discharged

7. (Horology) horology the cylindrical drum in a watch or clock that is rotated by the mainspring

8. (Zoology) the trunk of a four-legged animal: the barrel of a horse.

9. (Zoology) the quill of a feather

10. informal a large measure; a great deal (esp in the phrases barrel of fun, barrel of laughs)

11. (Swimming, Water Sports & Surfing) informal Austral the hollow inner side of a wave

12. over a barrel informal powerless

13. scrape the barrel informal to be forced to use one's last and weakest resource

vb, -rels, -relling or -relled, -rels, -reling or -reled

14. (tr) to put into a barrel or barrels

15. (intr; foll by along, in, etc) informal (intr) to travel or move very fast

16. (Swimming, Water Sports & Surfing) informal Austral to ride on the inside of a wave

[C14: from Old French baril perhaps from barre bar¹]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bar•rel

(ˈbær əl)

n., v. -reled, -rel•ing (esp. Brit.) -relled, -rel•ling. n.

1. a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides made of staves hooped together, and with flat, parallel ends.

2. a standard quantity that such a vessel can hold, as, in the U.S., 31.5 gallons of liquid or 105 dry quarts of fruits or vegetables.

3. any large quantity: a barrel of fun.

4. any container, case, or part similar to a wooden barrel.

5. the tubelike part of a gun from which the projectile emerges.

6. the cylindrical case in a watch or clock within which the mainspring is coiled.

7. the trunk of a quadruped, esp. of a horse or cow.

8. Also called throat. a passageway in a carburetor that has the shape of a Venturi tube.

v.t.

9. to put or pack in a barrel or barrels.

10. to pursue (one's way) or to force (something) to go at high speed.

v.i.

11. to travel or drive very fast: to barrel along the highway.

Idioms:

over a barrel, at the mercy of circumstances or one's adversaries; without choices.

[1250–1300; Middle English barell < Old French barril]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

barrel

Past participle: barrelled
Gerund: barrelling

Imperative

barrel

barrel

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Barrel

1. A round vessel made of wood staves or of sheet metal. Barrels had a greater length than diameter and those of wood bulged in the middle.

2. A unit of volume. There are no worldwide standards of size, and the official values may change through time. U.S. wine barrel volume (1920s) was thirty-one gallons. The beer barrel volume was thirty-one and half gallons, and the British imperial beer barrel contained thirty-six gallons. At the end of the twentieth century, a barrel of oil was forty-two gallons and a barrel of water was thirty-one and a half gallons. In 1866, a gallon was listed in Sweet’s Ready Reckoner (U.S.) as containing 277.25 cubic inches. By 1920, a U.S. gallon contained 231 cubic inches and, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, still contained 231 cubic inches.

1001 Words and Phrases You Never Knew You Didn’t Know by W.R. Runyan Copyright © 2011 by W.R. Runyan

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	barrel - a tube through which a bullet travels when a gun is fired gun barrel gun - a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel) tube, tubing - conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases
	2.	barrel - a cylindrical container that holds liquids cask beer barrel, beer keg - a barrel that holds beer breech, rear of barrel, rear of tube - opening in the rear of the barrel of a gun where bullets can be loaded bung, spile - a plug used to close a hole in a barrel or flask hogshead - a large cask especially one holding 63 gals hoop, ring - a rigid circular band of metal or wood or other material used for holding or fastening or hanging or pulling; "there was still a rusty iron hoop for tying a horse" keg - small cask or barrel pickle barrel - a barrel holding vinegar in which cucumbers are pickled shook - a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment stave, lag - one of several thin slats of wood forming the sides of a barrel or bucket spigot, tap - a plug for a bunghole in a cask tun - a large cask especially one holding a volume equivalent to 2 butts or 252 gals vessel - an object used as a container (especially for liquids) wine barrel, wine cask - a barrel that holds wine
	3.	barrel - a bulging cylindrical shape; hollow with flat ends drum cylinder - a surface generated by rotating a parallel line around a fixed line
	4.	barrel - the quantity that a barrel (of any size) will hold barrelful containerful - the quantity that a container will hold
	5.	barrel - any of various units of capacity; "a barrel of beer is 31 gallons and a barrel of oil is 42 gallons" bbl United States liquid unit - a liquid unit officially adopted in the United States Customary System British capacity unit, Imperial capacity unit - a unit of measure for capacity officially adopted in the British Imperial System; British units are both dry and wet gal, gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters congius, Imperial gallon, gallon - a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 quarts or 4.545 liters hogshead - a British unit of capacity for alcoholic beverages
Verb	1.	barrel - put in barrels       lay, place, put, set, position, pose - put into a certain place or abstract location; "Put your things here"; "Set the tray down"; "Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children"; "Place emphasis on a certain point"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

barrel

noun cask, drum, butt, vat, cylinder, tub, keg, firkin barrels of pickled fish

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

barrel

noun

Informal. A great deal:

abundance, mass, mountain, much, plenty, profusion, wealth, world.

Informal: heap, lot, pack, peck, pile.

Regional: power, sight.

verb

Slang. To move swiftly:

bolt, bucket, bustle, dart, dash, festinate, flash, fleet, flit, fly, haste, hasten, hurry, hustle, pelt, race, rocket, run, rush, sail, scoot, scour, shoot, speed, sprint, tear, trot, whirl, whisk, whiz, wing, zip, zoom.

Informal: hotfoot, rip.

Slang: highball.

Chiefly British: nip.

Idioms: get a move on, get cracking, go like lightning, go like the wind, hotfoot it, make haste, make time, make tracks, run like the wind, shake a leg, step on it.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

بَرْميلبِرْميلماسورَة البُنْدُقِيَّه

quart

sudbarelhlaveňbečka

tøndeankergeværløb

LaufFassGewehrlaufBarrel

βαρέλι

barrilcañóncubatonel

tynnyripiippuputki

tonneaucanonfûttubebaril

bačva

ágyúcsõhordó

tunnabaulahlaup

barilebottecannapasticciobariletto

樽

통

statinėvamzdis

cilindrsmucastobrs

tonvat

tønnebørsepipefatgeværløpløp

beczka

barril

бочкастволбаррель

sodpuškina cev

fat

ถังใส่ของเหลว

fıçınamluvaril

nòngthùng tròn

桶枪管

barrel

[ˈbærəl]

A. N

1. (gen) → barril m, tonel m; [of oil] → barril m; (for rain) → tina f (Tech) → tambor m
to have sb over a barrel → tener a algn con el agua al cuello
to scrape the (bottom of the) barrel → rebañar las últimas migas

2. [of gun, pen] → cañón m

B. CPD barrel organ N → organillo m
barrel vault N → bóveda f de cañón

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

barrel

[ˈbærəl] n

(= container) [beer, wine] → tonneau m; [fish] → caque f
to have sb over a barrel → avoir qn à sa merci
to scrape the bottom of the barrel, to scrape the barrel → racler les fonds de tiroir
to be a barrel of laughs [situation, event] → être une partie de plaisir
It wasn't exactly a barrel of laughs → Ce n'était pas vraiment une partie de plaisir.
The suppers are always a barrel of laughs
BUT On rigole toujours bien à ces dîners.; [person] → être rigolo(te)

(= standard unit) [oil] → baril m

[gun] → canon m
lock, stock, and barrel → en blocbarrel organ n → orgue m de Barbarie

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

barrel

n

→ Fass nt; (for oil, tar, rainwater etc) → Tonne f; (= measure: of oil) → Barrel nt; they’ve got us over a barrel (inf) → sie haben uns in der Zange (inf); it wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs (inf) → es war nicht gerade komisch; she wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs (inf) → sie war nicht gerade in bester Stimmung; to pay cash on the barrel (US) → bar auf den Tisch or die Kralle (inf) → zahlen ? biscuit, scrape

(of handgun) → Lauf m; (of cannon etc) → Rohr nt; to give somebody both barrels → auf jdn aus beiden Läufen feuern; I found myself looking down the barrel of a gun → ich hatte plötzlich eine Kanone vor der Nase (sl) ? lock²

(of fountain pen) → Tank m

vt wine etc → (in Fässer) (ab)füllen; herring → (in Fässer) einlegen; barrelled beer → Fassbier nt

---

barrel

:

barrel-chested

adj → breitbrüstig, mit gewölbter Brust; to be barrel → einen gewölbten Brustkasten haben

barrelful

n → Fass nt; (of oil) → Barrel nt

barrelhead

n to pay cash on the barrel (US) → bar auf den Tisch or die Kralle (inf) → zahlen

barrelhouse (US)

n → Kneipe f; (= jazz) → Kneipenjazz m

adj barrel blues alte, in Kneipen gespielte Form des Blues

barrel organ

n → Drehorgel f, → Leierkasten m

barrel roll

n (Aviat) → Rolle f (im Kunstflug)

barrel-shaped

adj → fass- or tonnenförmig; barrel man/woman → Fass nt (inf) → /Tonne f (inf)

barrel vault

n → Tonnengewölbe nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

barrel

[ˈbærəl] n → barile m; (of gun) → canna

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

barrel

(ˈbӕrəl) noun

1. a container of curved pieces of wood or of metal. The barrels contain beer. vat, vaatjie بَرْميل буре barril barel, sud das Faß tønde; anker βαρέλιbarril vaat بشکه tynnyri tonneauחבית पीपा bačva hordó tong, drum tunna barile たる 맥주 통 statinė muca tong tontønne, fatbeczka بېرل، بېلر، يو بېلر (هغه مقدار چه په يوه بيلركې ځاييږي) barril butoi бочка sud sod bure fat, tunna ถังใส่ของเหลว varil 圓桶 бочка لکڑی یا دھات کے ٹکڑوں کا بنایا ہوا گول ڈبہ thùng 桶

2. a long, hollow, cylindrical shape, especially the tube-shaped part of a gun. The bullet jammed in the barrel of the gun. loop ماسورَة البُنْدُقِيَّه цев cano hlaveň der (Gewehr-)Lauf geværløb κάννηcañón (püssi)toru لوله تفنگ piippu canon קָנֶה הַרוֹבֶה बैरल cijev vatrenog oružja (ágyú)cső laras hlaup canna 銃身 총신 vamzdis (šautenes) stobrs; cilindrs laras loopsylinder, geværløp, børsepipelufa د ټوپك ميل cano ţeavă (de puşcă) ствол ружья hlaveň cev cev pipa, lopp ลำกล้องปืน namlu 槍管，管狀物 ствол, дуло بیلن nòng súng 枪管

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

barrel

→ بِرْميل sud tønde Fass βαρέλι barril tynnyri tonneau bačva barile 樽 통 ton tønne beczka barril бочка fat ถังใส่ของเหลว fıçı thùng tròn 桶

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

barrel

n. [part of a syringe] cilindro; barril.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

barrel

n (of a syringe) cilindro; — chest tórax en tonel

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.