English · Slang Attested

in the bucket

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Short of money, or in debt (by a specified amount).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Thiếu tiền hoặc nợ nần

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

If you find that you are only $500 dollars in the bucket, don't think you will only need $500 dollars in cash, either.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “in the bucket” mean?

Short of money, or in debt (by a specified amount).

Is “in the bucket” formal or informal?

in the bucket is generally slang.