1. A tube through which a bullet travels when a gun is fired
   "The gunsmith carefully cleaned the gun barrel to ensure accuracy";
   - gun barrel
    
2. A cylindrical container that holds liquids
   "The winery aged its finest wines in oak barrels";
   - cask
    
3. A bulging cylindrical shape; hollow with flat ends
   "The oil was stored in large metal barrels";
   - drum
    
4. The quantity that a barrel (of any size) will hold
   "They collected a barrel of rainwater";
   - barrelful
    
5. Any of various units of capacity
   "a barrel of beer is 31 gallons and a barrel of oil is 42 gallons";
   - bbl
    
6. The ribs and belly of a horse or pony
   "The horse's barrel expanded as it took deep breaths after the race"

1. [informal] Move or travel very quickly
   - rush, hotfoot, hasten, hie [archaic], speed, race, pelt along [informal], rush along, bucket along [informal], belt along [informal], step on it [informal], travel rapidly, hurry, zip [informal], zoom, zoom along [informal], whizz [informal], whizz along [informal], bucket [informal], belt [informal], rocket [informal], wing [informal], pelt [informal]
    
2. Put in barrels
   "The winery barreled the new wine for aging"

Derived forms: barrels, barrelling, barrelled, barreling

Type of: British capacity unit, containerful, cylinder, go, Imperial capacity unit, lay, locomote, move, place, pose, position, put, set, travel, tube, tubing, United States liquid unit, vessel

Part of: gun, hogshead

Encyclopedia: Barrel