1
as in scooping
to lift out with something that holds liquid
bucketing water from the well, we raced to put out the fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shaking
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
getting the troops into the bucketing landing craft proved to be challenging
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bucketing
Six months later, the internship — some of which bore all the glamour of scrubbing bird poop and bucketing hundreds of pounds of fish as dolphin food — developed into a full-time gig as a trainer.
—
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bucketing
Verb
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Late in the second period, down a goal, Burakovsky corralled a Bedard rebound off the end boards, scooping the puck and tucking it behind Utah goalie Vitek Vaněček for a quick lacrosse-style goal from the side of the net.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Everyone on station was used to the antique ingredients, just as they were used to scooping ice cream out of the core of three-gallon tubs.—
Cree LeFavour,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Julia demonstrates how to cook a perfect little omelet without using any tools—just by shaking a pan in a magical way.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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Even the threat of reducing security for the Strait of Hormuz risks shaking confidence in a pillar of the world economy, as well as American wealth and power.—
Gerry Doyle,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ashley Dixon, content creator and home DIY expert behind Alexander Renee Design, says that the process is straightforward, and should start with emptying your fridge of items past their prime.—
Lori Keong,
Architectural Digest,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Heat waved the white flag midway through the fourth quarter, emptying its bench.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tony Fauci was not just jerking the country around.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
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The clip on TikTok shows the seat jerking abruptly, apparently from forceful pushes by the person seated behind her.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At least one of y’all admitted to spooning the salad into a bowl, topping it with paprika, and passing it off as homemade.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
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Then Shep leaps into bed with Austen, practically spooning him and draping his legs over the big muppet.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Think of an elastic band vibrating inside each particle.—
Zachary Slepian,
The Conversation,
30 Mar. 2026
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Noise colors can be high-pitched (rapidly vibrating) sounds, low-pitched (slowly vibrating) sounds, or a combination.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That all came to a shuddering halt after Khashoggi’s death.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
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Sat shuddering in my seat as the lights drew down.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The child had jumped at the sting, her bottom lip quivering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
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The mesmerizing evolution reaches its peak when a quivering guitar solo jettisons into view.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bucketing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bucketing. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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