Meaning & use
kick the bucket
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformalhumorous
To die, said in a joking or casual way.
Grammar: No object, and the idiom changes tense like an ordinary verb: he kicked the bucket.
Patterns
- someone kicks the bucket
Grandpa joked he wanted to see Paris before he kicked the bucket.
The old tractor finally kicked the bucket last winter.
I'd like to finish this book before I kick the bucket.
Word forms
| third person singular | kicks the bucket |
|---|---|
| past tense | kicked the bucket |
| past participle | kicked the bucket |
| -ing form | kicking the bucket |
Common combinations
- before I kick the bucket
- I want to travel before I kick the bucket.
- about to kick the bucket
- My old laptop is about to kick the bucket.
- kick the bucket early
- He joked that he'd kick the bucket early.
- bucket list
- Skydiving is on my bucket list.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pass away
- Pass away is a gentle, respectful phrase, while kick the bucket is flippant and jokey.
- croak
- Croak is cruder and slangier, and usually has a blunt, dark humor.
- die
- Die is neutral and direct, but kick the bucket adds humor.
- bite the dust
- Bite the dust also means die in a casual way, but it is often used for failures and for fights.
Opposites
Word family
- bucket noun
- an open container with a handle
- bucket list noun
- things a person wants to do before dying
- kick verb
- to hit with the foot
Commonly confused: kick the bucket or bucket list?
kick the bucket vs bucket list
A bucket list is a list of things to do before you die, taken from this idiom, while kick the bucket itself means to die.
Practice
My uncle says he wants to visit Japan before he ___.
Choose one answer.
Before he kicks the bucket means before he dies, which fits a lifelong wish. The other idioms do not mean die.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kick the bucket”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.