barrel
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a large, round container made of wood or metal, used for storing liquids like oil, wine, or beer.
n.a cylindrical vessel, traditionally made of wooden staves and hoops, used for the storage and aging of liquids.
Simple“The wine was left to age in an oak barrel for several years.”
In context“Distilleries often reuse charred oak barrels to impart a specific smoky flavour profile to the maturing spirit.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the metal tube of a gun that the bullet travels through when it is fired.
n.the metallic tube of a firearm or cannon through which a projectile is discharged.
Simple“The soldier spent the afternoon cleaning the barrel of his rifle.”
In context“The rifling inside the barrel induces a spin on the bullet, significantly improving the weapon's accuracy over long distances.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a specific amount of liquid, usually used when talking about the price of oil.
n.a standard unit of volume for various liquids, most notably used in the international petroleum industry.
Simple“The price of a barrel of oil rose sharply after the news of the strike.”
In context“Economists monitored the cost per barrel closely, as fluctuations in energy prices typically precede broader inflationary trends.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a wave that curls over as it breaks, creating a hollow space like a tube.
n.a hollow, tube-like space formed by a breaking wave, highly sought after by surfers.
Simple“The surfer disappeared into the barrel and came out the other side.”
In context“Riding deep inside the barrel requires precise board control and a keen understanding of the wave's velocity.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to move very fast, often in a way that seems dangerous or out of control.
v.to move at high speed and with great force, often implying a lack of precision or control.
Simple“The truck came barreling down the hill toward the intersection.”
In context“The storm clouds were barreling across the plains, forcing the farmers to seek immediate shelter before the hail began.”
UsageOften used with 'down' or 'along'.
- 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to curve outward in the middle like the shape of a barrel.
v.to exhibit a convex distortion where the sides of an image or object bulge outwards.
Simple“The wide-angle lens caused the edges of the photo to barrel slightly.”
In context“Software corrections are often necessary to rectify the barrel distortion inherent in low-cost wide-angle optics.”
Usage barrels a day · barrels of oil
“Rosebank is estimated to contain the equivalent of up to 300 million barrels of oil and at its peak will produce approximately 69,000 barrels a day.”
“Pacific island state declared a state of emergency as the storm barreled toward the archipelago, packing winds that could gust up to 85 mph (137 kph).”
From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil (“barrel”), of uncertain origin. An attempt to link baril to Old French barre (“bar, bolt”) (compare Medieval Latin barra (“bar, rod”)) via assumed Vulgar Latin barrīculum meets the phonological requirement, but fails to connect the word semantically. The alternative connection to Frankish baril, beril or Gothic 𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌹𐌻𐍃 (bērils, “container for transport”), from Proto-Germanic barilaz, bērilaz (“barrel, jug, container”), from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- (“to carry, transport”), is more plausible as it connects not only the form of the word but also the sense; equivalent to bear + -le. Compare also Old High German biril (“jug, large pot”), Luxembourgish Bärel, Bierel (“jug, pot”), Old Norse berill (“barrel for liquids”), Old English byrla (“barrel of a horse, trunk, body”). More at bear.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.