bucket list

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

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bucket list¹

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

Example Sentences

OK, sure, you’ll have to win a coveted lottery spot to spin your wheels across this storied road, but the nearly guaranteed wildlife sightings alone are enough to put this 92-mile drive atop your bucket list.

From Outside Online

Before walking on a prosthetic, Jim was already climbing again, and before long, he began dreaming about his bucket list.

From Outside Online

Said to be the finest mountain scenery in the US, this 211-mile trail should definitely be on your bucket list.

From Outside Online

Everyone has a travel bucket list, and now is the perfect time for you to start checking off those destinations you’ve had your eye on for the longest time.

From Popular-Science

The park’s primitive backcountry campsites, a short and mild walk into the dune field, are currently closed, but they’re more than worthy of your bucket list, so check back frequently to stay on top of reopening.

From Outside Online

Her solution: a bucket list of influential people and places to visit and photograph.

From The Daily Beast

It was on a hike to the Grand Canyon at age 18 that Shattuck penned her first bucket list.

From The Daily Beast

On the verge of turning 60 this December, Lennox still has a few items to cross off her bucket list.

From The Daily Beast

Men and women “go on bucket list,” some commit suicide, and others go full on doomsday hoarder.

From The Daily Beast

As part of ProjectOneLife's ongoing video bucket list venture, it was time to get a little jiggy wit it.

From The Daily Beast