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# barrel

noun (a barrel, barrels); verb (barrel along — informal, to move very fast)

«barrel» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A barrel is a big round container with a flat top and bottom, usually made of wood or metal, used to hold liquids or other goods. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#m1)
2. A barrel is the long tube of a gun, through which the bullet comes out. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#m2)
3. A barrel is also an amount (for oil it is about 159 litres). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#m3)
4. To barrel along means to move very fast and without control. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#m4)

### In the lessons

In history and stories barrels held water, apples, fish and gunpowder on ships and in shops; pirates hide in barrels. In maths, barrels are often used in capacity problems (a barrel holds so many litres). In everyday life: a water barrel collects rain. Phrases: «a barrel of laughs» (lots of fun), «scrape the bottom of the barrel» (use the worst of what is left), «over a barrel» (in a hard position).

### Examples

- The pirates rolled a barrel of rum onto the ship. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#x1)
- We collect rainwater in a barrel for the garden. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#x2)
- A barrel holds 50 litres, so 4 barrels hold 200 litres. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#x3)
- Apples were stored in barrels for the winter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#x4)
- The truck came barrelling down the hill. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#x5)
- The party was a barrel of laughs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#x6)
- Then they came and rolled the barrel towards the water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/#x7)

### Note

Countable: barrels. Double r, one l: barrel. British past: barrelled; American: barreled. A barrel is wider in the middle than at the ends. In maths problems «a barrel» is a unit of how much it holds, so multiply by the number of barrels.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «barrel» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barrel/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«barrel» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/barrel.html) on Mova free.