barrels

IPA/ˈbær.əl/
KK[bˈærəlz]IPA/ˈber.əl/

barrels — noun

  • barrelssingular
  • barrelsesplural

1. a round container, fatter around its middle and flat at each end, usually built

1.nounB1
Definition

a round container, fatter around its middle and flat at each end, usually built from wooden strips, sheet metal, or moulded plastic to hold liquids

Example

Old wooden barrels of red wine lined the cool stone cellar.

barrels of [liquid] showing what is stored inside

Linh rolled the heavy beer barrels down the ramp into the pub.

Common collocations
  • wooden barrels
  • plastic barrels
  • roll the barrels
  • stack barrels
Synonyms
  • cask

    a wooden barrel, usually for alcohol like wine or beer

  • drum

    a large metal barrel, often for oil, fuel, or chemicals

  • keg

    a small metal barrel, especially for beer

Grammar Patterns

a barrel of [liquid]

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'of' plus the substance stored inside (a barrel of wine, beer, water). The container reading is the everyday one; distinguish from sense 2, where the same word names a measured quantity rather than the object.

2. a fixed amount used to measure oil, with one unit equal to about 159 litres, or

2.nounB2
Definition

a fixed amount used to measure oil, with one unit equal to about 159 litres, or the quantity that such a measure holds

Example

The country now pumps two million barrels of crude oil every day.

[number] barrels of oil as a measured quantity

Oil prices fell sharply after traders expected millions more barrels on the market.

Common collocations
  • barrels of oil
  • barrels of crude
  • millions of barrels
  • barrels per day

Grammar Patterns

[number] barrels of oil

Usage Note

Object of measurement is almost always oil; the number comes before 'barrels' (two million barrels). Unlike sense 1, no physical container is meant — only the volume, so you cannot roll or stack these barrels.

Common Mistakes

The factory stored oil in many barrels of 159 litres each.
The factory produced two million barrels of oil last year.
as a measure, 'barrels' names the quantity pumped or sold, not actual containers you fill.

3. the long, narrow, tube-shaped parts of guns through which the bullets travel whe

3.nounB2
Definition

the long, narrow, tube-shaped parts of guns through which the bullets travel when fired

Example

The hunter carefully cleaned both barrels of the old shotgun.

the barrels of a [weapon]

Esteban polished the long steel barrels until they shone in the sun.

Common collocations
  • gun barrels
  • shotgun barrels
  • clean the barrels
  • twin barrels
Synonyms
  • muzzle

    strictly the open front end of a gun barrel, not the whole tube

Grammar Patterns

the barrels of a [weapon]

Usage Note

Almost always paired with a weapon word (shotgun, rifle, cannon, pistol) as 'the barrels of'. Refers only to the firing tubes, not the whole gun, distinguishing it from senses 1 and 2.

barrels — verb

Word family

  • barrel
    nounB1
  • barrelled
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all name round storage containers, but they differ in material, size, and contents. A 'barrel' is the general word for the wide-middled container and can be made of wood, metal, or plastic. A 'cask' is specifically wooden and is mostly used for ageing wine, whisky, or beer, so it carries a traditional, craft feeling. A 'drum' is a large metal barrel, the kind you see holding oil, fuel, or industrial chemicals on a factory site. A 'keg' is smaller and metal, almost always linked with beer at parties or pubs. So you might age wine in an oak cask, store waste oil in a steel drum, and tap a keg at a summer party — three readings the plain word 'barrel' could cover, each made sharper by the more specific term.

barrel ↗cask ↗drum ↗keg ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • oil barrels
  • beer barrels
  • gun barrels
  • water barrels

Phrases

Prepositions

  • barrels of
  • barrels per

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'baril', meaning a wooden cask or container. Its deeper origin is uncertain, though it may connect to medieval Latin words for a small cask. From the physical container, English later stretched the word to mean a fixed measure of liquid (especially oil), the tube of a gun, and other tube- or drum-shaped parts. The lively verb meaning 'to move fast' is a much more recent, informal American development.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb