Meanings
present singular third person kicks the bucket · participle present kicking the bucket · participle past kicked the bucket · past kicked the bucket
- colloquialeuphemistichumorousidiomaticTo die.
The old horse finally kicked the bucket.
1 more example
My posthumous book Allegorizings, which will go to press in London and New York the minute I kick the bucket, is loosely governed by my growing conviction that almost nothing in life is only what it seems. It contains nothing revelatory at all.
2015 April 22, Sam Jordison, quoting Jan Morris, “Jan Morris talks about Venice”, in The GuardianSynonyms: kick it, bite the dust, buy the farm, assume room temperature, auger in, be called home, be gathered to one's fathers, be like the the One
- colloquialidiomaticTo break down such that it cannot be repaired.
I think my sewing machine has kicked the bucket.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo die.
More synonyms by meaning
verbpass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
There are many theories as to where this idiom comes from, but the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) suggests the following: * A person standing on a pail or bucket with their head in a slip noose would kick the bucket so as to commit suicide. The OED, however, says that this is mainly speculative; * An archaic use of bucket was a beam from which a pig is hung by its feet prior to being slaughtered, and to kick the bucket originally signified the pig's death throes. The OED finds this a more plausible theory. Another theory is given by Roman Catholic Bishop Abbot Horne: After death, when a body had been laid out, […] the holy-water bucket was brought from the church and put at the feet of the corpse. When friends came to pray […] they would sprinkle the body with holy water […] it is easy to see how such a saying as "kicking the bucket" came about. Many other explanations of this saying have been given by persons who are unacquainted with Catholic custom […]
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans skop die emmer, gee die gees
- skop die emmerto die
- gee die geesto die
- steek die lepel in die dakto die
- gaan bokveld toeto die
- verwissel die tydelike met die ewigeto die
Catalan estirar la pota, dinyar-la
- estirar la potato die
- dinyar-lato die
Chinese Mandarin 翹辮子 /翘辫子
- 翹辮子 /翘辫子 (qiào biànzi)to die
Czech zaklepat bačkorama
- zaklepat bačkoramato die
Danish stille træskoene
- stille træskoeneto die
Dutch de pijp uit gaan, het loodje leggen
- de pijp uit gaanto die
- het loodje leggento die
Finnish potkaista tyhjää, hajota lopullisesti
- potkaista tyhjääto die
- hajota lopullisestito break down beyond repair
French passer l'arme à gauche, casser sa pipe
- passer l'arme à gaucheto die
- casser sa pipeto die
German den Löffel abgeben, endgültig im Eimer sein
- den Löffel abgebento die
- endgültig im Eimer seinto break down beyond repair
Hungarian elpatkol, felrúgja a gyertyát
- elpatkolto die
- felrúgja a gyertyátto die
- beadja a kulcsotto die
- feldobja a bakancsotto die
- feldobja a talpátto die
- beadja a kulcsotto break down beyond repair
Icelandic eyðilegjast, deyja
- eyðilegjastto break down beyond repair
- deyjato break down beyond repair
- drepastto break down beyond repair
Italian tirare le cuoia
- tirare le cuoiato die
Japanese くたばる
- くたばる (kutabaru)to die
Korean 죽다, 고장나다
- 죽다 (jukda)to die
- 고장나다 (gojangnada)to break down beyond repair
Latvian atdot galus, nolikt karoti
- atdot galusto die
- nolikt karotito die
Norwegian legge inn årene, gå i pennalet
- legge inn åreneto die
- gå i pennaletto die
Persian ریق رحمت را سر کشیدن
- ریق رحمت را سر کشیدن (riq-e rahmat râ sar kešidan)to die
Polish kopnąć w kalendarz, wyciągnąć kopyta
- kopnąć w kalendarzto die
- wyciągnąć kopytato die
- przekręcić sięto die
- odwalić kitęto die
- wyciągnąć nogito die
- pójść do piachuto die
- przenieść się na łono Abrahamato die
- wykitowaćto die
- wykorkowaćto die
- zawinąć sięto die
- fajtnąćto die
- kojfnąćto die
Portuguese bater as botas
- bater as botasto die
Romanian da colțul, da ortul popii
- da colțulto die
- da ortul popiito die
Russian преставиться, накрыться медным тазом
- преставиться (prestavitʹsja)to die
- накрыться медным тазом (nakrytʹsja mednym tazom)to break down beyond repair
Slovak otrčiť kopytá, otrčiť päty
- otrčiť kopytáto die
- otrčiť pätyto die
- vystrieť sa na dosketo die
Spanish estirar la pata, colgar los guayos
- estirar la patato die
- colgar los guayosto die
- irse al otro barrioto die
- colgar los tenisto die
- petatearseto die
Swedish kila runt hörnet, ta ner skylten
- kila runt hörnetto die
- ta ner skyltento die
Turkish mezarı boylamak, nalları dikmek
- mezarı boylamakto die
- nalları dikmekto die
Welsh cicio'r bwced
- cicio'r bwcedto die
Cite this entry
kick the bucket. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20the%20bucket
“kick the bucket.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20the%20bucket. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kick the bucket,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20the%20bucket.
Source: kick the bucket on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.