bucketful

noun

buck·​et·​ful ˈbə-kət-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce bucketful (audio)
plural bucketfuls ˈbə-kət-ˌfu̇lz How to pronounce bucketful (audio) or bucketsful ˈbə-kəts-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce bucketful (audio)
: as much as a bucket will hold
broadly : a large quantity

Examples of bucketful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web A couple of years ago, advocates were salivating over the prospect of bucketfuls of cash from Build Back Better, the eventual Inflation Reduction Act, which was supposed to restore the Federal government’s commitment to public housing. Curbed, 9 Jan. 2024 Go on worm hunts, make a birdfeeder, plant a salad, grow a bucketful of potatoes, open up fruits and vegetables to examine their seeds. Nina McLaughlin, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2023 There is a bucketful of nuanced terms to deeply analyze ratings — stats like reach, share, average minute rating and people using television. Kevin Draper, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2020 Implanted in the lunar soil by the solar wind, the all-important gas can be found on the moon by the bucketful. Joseph Calamia, Discover Magazine, 25 Aug. 2010 The Pac-12 women’s media day began Tuesday with a bucketful of glowing numbers. Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Oct. 2022 Firefighters lowered a metal tube around Leake to prevent the walls of the ditch from collapsing around him further, then took turns rappelling into the hole to remove dirt by the bucketful. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 20 July 2021 His latest bucketful goes a long way toward clarifying the politics of our time. Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 7 July 2021 What's left to say about someone who has a Nobel Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a bucketful of Grammys and dozens of other recognitions? Mike Buttry, Star Tribune, 21 May 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bucketful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1564, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bucketful was in 1564

Dictionary Entries Near bucketful

Cite this Entry

“Bucketful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bucketful. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bucketful

noun
buck·​et·​ful ˈbək-ət-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce bucketful (audio)
plural bucketfuls
-ət-ˌfu̇lz
or bucketsful -əts-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce bucketful (audio)
: the amount a bucket holds
also : a large quantity

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