VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

a bucket list

noun·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˈbʌkɪt ˌlɪst/
US/ˈbʌkɪt ˌlɪst/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableinformal

    A personal list of things a person wants to do or see before they die.

    Grammar: Countable, often with an or my: a bucket list, my bucket list.

    Patterns

    • on someone's bucket list
    • tick something off the bucket list
    • add something to your bucket list

    Visiting Japan is at the top of my bucket list.

    He crossed skydiving off his bucket list last summer.

    What is on your bucket list?

  2. nouncountableinformalfigurative

    A set of goals or experiences that someone hopes to complete, not necessarily connected to death.

    Grammar: Used lightly in conversation: a summer bucket list.

    Patterns

    • a bucket list of something

    We made a bucket list for our last year at school.

    This café is on every foodie's bucket list.

    She wrote a bucket list of books to read this year.

Word forms

pluralbucket lists

Common combinations

make a bucket list
I made a bucket list on my fortieth birthday.
cross something off a bucket list
He crossed learning to surf off his bucket list.
top of the bucket list
Seeing the northern lights is top of my bucket list.
a travel bucket list
Her travel bucket list has twenty countries.
a bucket list item
Running a marathon is a bucket list item for him.

Synonyms and how they differ

wish list
A wish list is a list of things you would like to have or do, and it need not be tied to a lifetime.
to-do list
A to-do list holds routine tasks, whereas a bucket list holds big dreams.
life goals
Life goals are serious aims such as career or family, while a bucket list is often about experiences.

Word family

bucket noun
an open container with a handle
list noun
items written one after another
kick the bucket phrase
informal and humorous way to say die

Commonly confused: a bucket list or to-do list?

a bucket list vs to-do list

A to-do list is for ordinary tasks, while a bucket list collects once-in-a-lifetime hopes.

Practice

Which item would most likely appear on someone's bucket list?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a bucket list”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words