# kick the bucket

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/kick-the-bucket
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To die.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.