bucket list

American

noun

Informal.

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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bucket list

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

bucket list

WSJ: What’s still on your bucket list in terms of improving operations?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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

"But I think I'm just extremely proud of my fight this week and the dream of that little girl that you kind of get to check that off your bucket list."

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

"Chilling with the lemurs was top of my bucket list so that was probably the best experience I've had."

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023