1
: a typically cylindrical vessel for catching, holding, or carrying liquids or solids
2
: something resembling a bucket: such as
a
: the scoop of an excavating machine
b
: one of the receptacles on the rim of a waterwheel
c
: one of the cups of an endless-belt conveyor
d
: one of the vanes of a turbine rotor
3
4
5
bucketed; bucketing; buckets
1
: to draw or lift in buckets
2
British
a
: to ride (a horse) hard
b
: to drive hurriedly or roughly
3
: to deal with in a bucket shop
2
a
: to move about haphazardly or irresponsibly
b
: to move roughly or jerkily
3
chiefly British, informal
: to rain very heavily : pour
It doesn't just rain here. It pours; it lashes; it buckets.—
Kathleen A. Quinn
—usually used with downKathleen A. QuinnRain bucketed down for the next two days …—Thurston Clarke
Thurston Clarke
Synonyms
Noun
- abundance
- barrel
- basketful
- boatload
- bunch
- bundle
- bushel
- carload
- chunk
- deal
- dozen
- fistful
- gobs
- good deal
- heap
- hundred
- lashings [chiefly British]
- lashins
- loads
- lot
- mass
- mess
- mountain
- much
- multiplicity
- myriad
- oodles
- pack
- passel
- peck
- pile
- plateful
- plenitude
- plentitude
- plenty
- pot
- potful
- profusion
- quantity
- raft
- reams
- scads
- sheaf
- shipload
- sight
- slew
- spate
- stack
- store
- ton
- truckload
- volume
- wad
- wealth
- yard
Verb
Examples of bucket in a Sentence
Noun
We used two buckets of paint to paint the living room.
made buckets of money in the stock market
Verb
bucketing water from the well, we raced to put out the fire
getting the troops into the bucketing landing craft proved to be challenging
Recent Examples on the WebEric Torres, Pitchfork, 14 Sep. 2023
Instead of using a bathroom, people retire to a room in a house, pull a curtain and use a honey bucket — typically a 5-gallon bucket with a toilet seat on top and a plastic bag inside.
—Mark Thiessen and Tom Brenner, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2023
How to Drain a Washing Machine Soak the Filter
Fill a bucket, bowl, or basin large enough to submerge the filter with hot water and a small amount (about 1 tsp.) of dish soap or liquid laundry detergent.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2023
The website recommends a 5-gallon utility bucket with a lid and garbage bag liners.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 4 Sep. 2023
At one such stop, the family made a fire and gathered round a metal bucket to make soup.
—Maggie Levantovskaya, Longreads, 31 Aug. 2023
Add a dash of mild detergent to a bucket of water and stir.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023
French Country Cottage has the most charming setup of miniature trees outside of her house, in mismatched pots and even a super-casual bucket.
—Kelsey Mulvey, ELLE Decor, 29 Aug. 2023
Seattle, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Charlotte, and Raleigh are leading the way with shrinking homes; although there’s two sort-of buckets these markets fall into, Wolf said.
—Byalena Botros, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2023
Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Sep. 2023
Top handles are too formal, totes too casual, and buckets too trendy.
—Charlotte Davey, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2023
The Fever seemingly had control of the game throughout the first 10 minutes of the game, scoring at will and bucketing 26 points.
—Indystar Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 19 July 2023
Products are bucketed into 107 categories — from clothing to footwear to household linens — and further segmented by weight.
—Olivia Rockeman, Fortune, 30 May 2023
But that gorgeous swamp was bucketed out around the time of Sleep Well Beast.
—James Robins, Vulture, 1 May 2023
The only reason the Nittany Lions are still on the bubble is that Cam Wynter nailed two late-game miracle buckets to win back-to-back games.
—Tanner McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2023
That late three was Jones' only bucket in the second half.
—Ben Steele, Journal Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2022
Kessler’s layup is the Tigers’ only bucket in their last 10 attempts.
—Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 8 Feb. 2022
See More
Noun
In one of the more audacious experiments, Everett suggested covering a microphone with a condom and submerging it in a bucket of water to record some of the subaqueous sounds that ripple through the album.
—Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 14 Sep. 2023
Instead of using a bathroom, people retire to a room in a house, pull a curtain and use a honey bucket — typically a 5-gallon bucket with a toilet seat on top and a plastic bag inside.
—Mark Thiessen and Tom Brenner, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2023
How to Drain a Washing Machine Soak the Filter
Fill a bucket, bowl, or basin large enough to submerge the filter with hot water and a small amount (about 1 tsp.) of dish soap or liquid laundry detergent.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2023
The website recommends a 5-gallon utility bucket with a lid and garbage bag liners.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 4 Sep. 2023
At one such stop, the family made a fire and gathered round a metal bucket to make soup.
—Maggie Levantovskaya, Longreads, 31 Aug. 2023
Add a dash of mild detergent to a bucket of water and stir.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023
French Country Cottage has the most charming setup of miniature trees outside of her house, in mismatched pots and even a super-casual bucket.
—Kelsey Mulvey, ELLE Decor, 29 Aug. 2023
Seattle, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Charlotte, and Raleigh are leading the way with shrinking homes; although there’s two sort-of buckets these markets fall into, Wolf said.
—Byalena Botros, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2023
Verb
When Holly’s seemingly psychic abilities save her from a fatal disaster at school, her status in the community shifts from outcast to otherworldly icon — as if Carrie White had actually been crowned prom queen, and not bucketed with blood.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Sep. 2023
Top handles are too formal, totes too casual, and buckets too trendy.
—Charlotte Davey, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2023
The Fever seemingly had control of the game throughout the first 10 minutes of the game, scoring at will and bucketing 26 points.
—Indystar Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 19 July 2023
Products are bucketed into 107 categories — from clothing to footwear to household linens — and further segmented by weight.
—Olivia Rockeman, Fortune, 30 May 2023
But that gorgeous swamp was bucketed out around the time of Sleep Well Beast.
—James Robins, Vulture, 1 May 2023
The only reason the Nittany Lions are still on the bubble is that Cam Wynter nailed two late-game miracle buckets to win back-to-back games.
—Tanner McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2023
That late three was Jones' only bucket in the second half.
—Ben Steele, Journal Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2022
Kessler’s layup is the Tigers’ only bucket in their last 10 attempts.
—Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 8 Feb. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bucket.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French buket, from Old English būc pitcher, belly; akin to Old High German būh belly
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1640, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of bucket was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing bucket
Dictionary Entries Near bucket
Cite this Entry
“Bucket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bucket. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on bucket
Nglish: Translation of bucket for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of bucket for Arabic Speakers
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