kick the bucket
To die.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My old car finally kicked the bucket yesterday.”
“He joked that he wanted to travel the world before he kicked the bucket.”
“My laptop kicked the bucket right in the middle of the meeting, so I had to finish the presentation using my phone.”
“The ancient oak tree that had shaded the village square for two centuries finally kicked the bucket during the winter storm.”
The Oxford English Dictionary considers the most plausible origin to be the archaic use of bucket to mean a beam or frame. In this context, a slaughtered pig was hung by its feet from the beam; the animal’s death throes were said to be the literal act of kicking the bucket.
A secondary theory suggests the phrase describes a person committing suicide by standing on a pail with a noose around their neck. The individual would then kick the bucket away to achieve the desired result. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, classifies this particular explanation as mainly speculative.
A further theory regarding the expression is provided by the Roman Catholic Bishop Abbot Horne.
- 01
bolt bucket
A machine, especially an automobile. Implies that the machine is clunky or unreliable.
- 02
brain bucket
A protective helmet, as worn, for example, by a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or soldier in combat.
- 03
bucket down
To rain heavily.
- 04
bucket list
A list of tasks arising during a meeting that are put aside to be dealt with later.
- 05
bucket of bolts
A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often an old car.
- 06
bucket of rust
Synonym of rustbucket.
- 07
bucket of syrup
A sticky, difficult situation.
- 08
can't carry a tune in a bucket
Sings very badly.
Last updated August 10, 2026