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?

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bucket list British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of bucket list

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bucket list

A lifelong aviation enthusiast, she said she had always wanted to visit the airport's air traffic control tower, and described the experience as one of the highlights of her bucket list.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

As a theme park journalist, it was the absolute summit of my professional bucket list — always close yet somehow out of reach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Essex fan Nigel Warner recently completed a bucket list ambition of visiting all four Grand Slam tournaments and agrees Wimbledon is the best.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

By the time we packed up our tents and chairs, my brother had crossed Melville’s masterpiece off his bucket list.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

It isn’t with Abby, and I certainly won’t be crossing off that one item on Will’s bucket list, but just going makes me feel closer to them.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott