bucket

noun

buck·et | \ ˈbə-kət

Definition of bucket

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 : bucketful

4 : bucket seat

5 : basket sense 3b

bucket

verb

bucketed; bucketing; buckets

Definition of bucket (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1 : hustle, hurry

2a : 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 down Rain bucketed down for the next two days … .— Thurston Clarke

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about bucket

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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 Web: Noun

In a sink or large bucket, mix up a sudsy solution of a grease-cutting dish liquid, like Dawn, and hot water and place the grates in to soak. — Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, "All the BBQ Cleaning Tips You Need to Get Your Grill Ready for Summer," 5 Apr. 2019 Before Nolan kicks the bucket, his opulent mother (Kelly Rutherford, a.k.a. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "I Never Thought I’d Love the Pretty Little Liars Spin-off More Than the Original, but Here We Are," 20 Mar. 2019 The cringing media cataloged his succession of offenses, from egging a neighbor’s house to urinating in a mop bucket, from turning up in a Brazilian brothel to catching a DUI charge after drag-racing his Lamborghini in Miami Beach. — Rob Haskell, Vogue, "Justin and Hailey Bieber Open Up About Their Passionate, Not-Always-Easy but Absolutely All-In Romance," 7 Feb. 2019 Park officials became aware of the radioactive buckets, located near a taxidermy exhibit, last year. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Grand Canyon's Museum Has Reportedly Been Exposing Tourists to Uranium for 18 Years," 19 Feb. 2019 Rather than fully fix the roof, staff place buckets of water out to catch any leaks. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Why Prince Charles and Other Royal Family Members Secretly Dislike Buckingham Palace," 27 Jan. 2019 Repeat this process several times, using a clean bucket of diluted vinegar-water as your base. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "How To Remove Slime From Your Furniture, Carpet And More," 5 Dec. 2018 Use a trickle from a hose or, if the hose won’t reach, use a bucket, allowing the water to flow slowly into the soil. — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, "What does scorching heat mean for trees and plants?," 3 July 2018 The thickness of the lava is the same reason why volcanologists trying to take samples don’t use buckets. — Alessandra Potenza, The Verge, "Falling into lava would be a pretty hot mess," 30 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But in a storm of Harvey's sheer monstrousness – hundreds of miles across, lingering for days with bucketing rain that swallowed roads and initially kept rescue aircraft grounded – no government response could ever have been enough. — Author: Kevin Sullivan, Peter Holley, Alaska Dispatch News, "Texans’ do-it-ourselves rescue effort defines Hurricane Harvey," 3 Sep. 2017 But in a storm of Harvey’s sheer monstrousness — hundreds of miles across, lingering for days with bucketing rain that swallowed roads and initially kept rescue aircraft grounded — no government response could ever have been enough. — Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, "Texans’ do-it-ourselves rescue effort defines Hurricane Harvey," 2 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bucket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.