{
    "term": "barrel",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a large round container, usually made of wood or metal, with flat ends and, usually, curved sides",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a **beer/wine barrel**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "They filled the barrels with cider."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The art of barrel-making is an ancient skill."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["beer", "whisky/​whiskey", "wine"],
                "verb + barrel": ["fill"],
                "barrel + verb": ["contain something"],
                "preposition": ["a barrel", "per barrel", "by the barrel"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "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",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They got through two barrels of beer."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Oil prices fell to $9 a barrel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Crude oil prices hit record highs of more than $70 a barrel."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["beer", "whisky/​whiskey", "wine"],
                "verb + barrel": ["fill"],
                "barrel + verb": ["contain something"],
                "preposition": ["a barrel", "per barrel", "by the barrel"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "the part of a gun like a tube through which the bullets are fired",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Tom found himself looking down the barrel of a gun."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The barrel was aimed directly at me."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He fired one barrel and then fired again."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I felt the gun barrel at my head."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["gun", "rifle", "shotgun"],
                "verb + barrel": ["look down", "peer down"],
                "barrel + verb": ["point"],
                "phrases": ["the barrel of a gun"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a lot of fun",
            "labels": "(informal, often ironic)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Life hasn't exactly been a barrel of laughs lately."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to emphasize how easy it is to do something",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "What do you mean you can't do it? It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel!"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "including everything",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He sold the business lock, stock and barrel."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "(to put/have somebody) in a situation in which they must accept or do what you want",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They've got us over a barrel. Either we agree to their terms or we lose the money."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Permission and obligation"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to have to use things or people that are not the best or most suitable because the ones that were the best or most suitable are no longer available",
            "labels": "(disapproving)",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈbærəl/",
                "audio": "ba/barrel/barrel__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈbærəl/",
                "audio": "ba/barrel/barrel__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French baril, from medieval Latin barriclus ‘small cask’."
}