What does barrelful mean?
Barrelful is a noun denoting the amount that a barrel can hold — literally, a measure of liquid or dry goods equal to the contents of a barrel, and figuratively, any impressively large quantity. It belongs to a family of English measure-words formed with '-ful,' such as handful, spoonful, and cupful, which express quantity by reference to a container. In everyday speech, barrelful appears most often in idiomatic and playful contexts: 'a barrelful of laughs' describes something enormously entertaining, while 'more fun than a barrelful of monkeys' has become a fixed expression so familiar that it inspired the classic children's game Barrel of Monkeys. The word carries a warm, colloquial connotation of abundance rather than precise measurement, since actual barrel volumes vary widely by trade and era. Writers use it when they want an image of generous, overflowing plenty.
nounThe amount that a barrel holds; a quantity as large as the contents of a barrel. Used both literally (for liquids or dry goods) and figuratively to mean a very large amount.
- The amount that a barrel can hold, used literally for liquids or dry goods.
- A figurative large quantity — 'a barrelful of laughs' meaning great amusement.
"The winery bottled a barrelful of cabernet just in time for the harvest festival."
"The brewery tapped a fresh barrelful of ale for the autumn fair."
"Her stories were a barrelful of laughs from start to finish."
The standard plural adds -s to the whole compound; some writers prefer 'barrels full' in formal prose.
"The distillery shipped several barrelfuls of whiskey before the holidays."
A 'barrelful of monkeys' isn't just chaos — it's an idiom so entrenched that toy makers have sold literal barrels of monkeys for over a century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of barrelful
Barrelful is formed from 'barrel,' a Middle English borrowing from Old French 'baril,' combined with the native English suffix '-ful,' which turns a container noun into a measure of its capacity. The same pattern produced handful, cupful, and spoonful, making barrelful part of a long-standing Germanic method of expressing quantity. It arose in English as commerce in wine, beer, and other barreled goods made the barrel a standard unit of trade.
How barrelful is actually used
Barrelful is informal to neutral in register and appears most often in figurative expressions like 'a barrelful of laughs.' The plural is barrelfuls, though 'barrels full' is sometimes preferred in careful writing.
Easily confused with barrelful
A barrel is the container itself, while a barrelful is the quantity of contents that fills one.