barrel roll

noun

1

: an airplane maneuver in which a complete revolution about the longitudinal axis is made

2

: a usually accidental occurrence in which a vehicle rolls completely over along its longitudinal axis

If the accident is violent enough to cause a couple of barrel rolls, the car will do so, despite the flaps.

—Connie Steele

barrel-roll verb, transitive + intransitive

He once flipped a car at 225 miles per hour and barrel-rolled another at 307 mph.

—Preston Lerner

Examples of barrel roll in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This man fell flat on his back, quickly did a little barrel roll thing, gathered himself and still had time to locate the ball and make a flippantly awesome catch. —Chris Branch, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

The dual-launch Mack Rides racing coaster will reach a top speed of 62 miles per hour over 5,000 feet of track while navigating a barrel roll and zero-G roll. —Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 19 Mar. 2025

By default, your ship can boost, perform a barrel roll, shoot a primary gun, and fire secondary missiles. —PCMAG, 16 Mar. 2025

Rousing wheelhouse kicks and exiting barrel rolls make this no-frills action flick a distinct take on the genre. —Robert Daniels, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for barrel roll

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole