Meanings
prepositional phrase
- slangShort of money, or in debt (by a specified amount).
She said once they won a thousand, but by then they were already thirty thousand in the bucket.
2008, Stephen King, Just After Sunset1 more example
If you find that you are only $500 dollars in the bucket, don't think you will only need $500 dollars in cash, either.
1984, The Superstars of Rock, page 166
Cite this entry
APA
in the bucket. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20bucket
MLA
“in the bucket.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20bucket. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the bucket,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20bucket.
Source: in the bucket on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.