- [countable]
an open container with a handle, used for carrying or holding liquids, sand, etc. （有提梁的）桶 
a plastic bucket 塑料桶 - (British English)
They were playing on the beach with their buckets and spades. 他们带着桶和铲子在沙滩上玩。
Extra ExamplesTopics Houses and homesc1The children ran down to the beach with their buckets and spades. 孩子们带着桶和铲跑向海滩。 The cleaner put down his mop and bucket and sat down. 清洁工放下拖把和桶，坐了下来。 The sand had spilt from the fire bucket. 沙子从消防桶里泼洒出来。 a slop bucket full of scraps of food 盛满残羹剩饭的泔水桶
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- empty
- full
- galvanized
- …
- fill
- carry
- dump
- …
- be full of something
- contain something
- hold something
- …
- in a/the bucket
- bucket of
- a bucket and spade
- mop and bucket
- [countable]
a large container that is part of a crane or digger and is used for lifting things 吊桶；水斗；（挖掘机的）铲斗 - [countable]
the amount contained in a bucket 一桶（的量） two buckets/bucketfuls of water 两桶水 - by the bucket/bucketful
They used to drink tea by the bucketful (= in large quantities). 他们过去常常大量喝茶。
Extra ExamplesShe poured the bucket of dirty water down the drain. 她把那桶脏水倒到下水道里。 a bucket of oats for the horses 一桶给马吃的燕麦 big buckets of popcorn and Coke 大桶的爆米花和可口可乐
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- empty
- full
- galvanized
- …
- fill
- carry
- dump
- …
- be full of something
- contain something
- hold something
- …
- in a/the bucket
- bucket of
- a bucket and spade
- mop and bucket
- buckets[plural] (informal)
a large amount 大量
Word OriginMiddle English: from Anglo-Norman French buquet ‘tub, pail’, perhaps from Old English būc ‘belly, pitcher’.
Idioms
a drop in the bucket (North American English)
(British English a drop in the ocean)
an amount of something that is too small or unimportant to make any real difference to a situation 沧海一粟；九牛一毛 The amount of money raised was a drop in the bucket compared to what we needed. 与我们所需要的相比，筹集的资金只是沧海一粟。
kick the bucket
- (informal or humorous)
to die 死；翘辫子；蹬腿儿