Word.ws English Dictionary

both barrels

both barrels noun: the maximum damage that a weapon can deliver.

Noun

both barrels pl (plural only)

  1. (figuratively, informal, plural, plural-only) The maximum damage that a weapon can deliver.
    • to give someone both barrels
    • to let someone have both barrels

Examples of both barrels in a sentence

  • to hit someone with both barrels
  • Rightwing media mouthpieces and ICE get both barrels in South Park’s latest zeitgeist-capturing satire.2025 August 7, Zach Vasquez, “From puppy murder to racist podcasts: South Park’s anti-deportation episode is utterly ruthless TV”, in The...

Origin of both barrels

In reference to discharging both barrels of a double-barrelled shotgun simultaneously rather than one at a time.

Questions about both barrels

What does both barrels mean?
Both barrels means the maximum damage that a weapon can deliver.
How do you use both barrels in a sentence?
to hit someone with both barrels
What part of speech is both barrels?
Both barrels is a noun.

Words near both barrels in the dictionary

  1. Botez gambit
  2. Botez gambits
  3. botflies
  4. botfly
  5. both
  6. both barrels
  7. both of ours
  8. both of theirs
  9. both of yours
  10. Both respirator
  11. Both respirators

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: both barrels (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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