/ ˈbærəl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a large round container, usually made of wood or metal, with flat ends and, usually, curved sides :
a beer / wine barrel
2.
the contents of or the amount contained in a barrel; a unit of measurement in the oil industry equal to between 120 and 159 litres :
They got through two barrels of beer.
Oil prices fell to $9 a barrel.
3.
the part of a gun like a tube through which the bullets are fired
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IDIOMS
- a barrel of laughs
- (get / have sb) over a barrel
—more at lock noun , scrape verb , shoot verb
■ verb
( -l- ) [ v + adv. / prep. ] ( NAmE , informal ) to move very fast in a particular direction, especially in a way that you cannot control :
He came barreling down the hill and smashed into a phone booth.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French baril , from medieval Latin barriclus small cask.