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bucketful

American  
[buhk-it-fool] / ˈbʌk ɪtˌfʊl /

noun

plural

bucketfuls
  1. the amount that a bucket can hold.

    a bucketful of water.


Spelling

See -ful.

Etymology

Origin of bucketful

First recorded in 1555–65; bucket + -ful

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.

I have friends who choke down Greek yogurt by the bucketful, who eat handfuls of grilled chicken at a time, who dead lift their own body weight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

The family unearthed bivalves by the bucketful, reaching the most plentiful beaches with their motorized metal dinghy.

From Scientific American • Jan. 24, 2022

I could eat that garlic rice by the bucketful, same for the bone-in chicken adobo legs and thighs coated in a rich vinegar/soy marinade.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 24, 2021

That’s how the Hoosiers wound up at Janko’s Little Zagreb, ordering cheesecake by the bucketful.

From Washington Post • Jun. 24, 2021

Harry looked up at the owner of the hand on his shoulder and felt a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach — he had walked right into Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling