bucket list

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a list of things a person wants to achieve or experience, as before reaching a certain age or dying.

   a bucket list for a terminally ill patient;

   What’s on your summer bucket list?

---

bucket list British  

noun

1. informal a list of experiences one wants to have before one dies

---

Etymology

Origin of bucket list

First recorded in 2005–10; from the idiom kick the bucket “to die”

Example Sentences

“One thing I never had on my bucket list was a statue,” Leslie told The Times on Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

As Fenway prices have soared, the experience commodified into a bucket list item with Green Monster seats and a “Sweet Caroline” singalong, the team’s performance has veered around like a cat driving a Buick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

He described how when he was given his diagnosis his first reaction was to think of "bucket list things, things I've not done, I've wanted to do" - but that soon changed.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Read: Start on your bucket list now, says the Oscar-nominated director of the film ‘Retirement Plan’

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

Getting straight A’s wasn’t on Qareeb’s bucket list, despite my parents’ best efforts.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad