1 B1 idiomatic informal
To rain extremely heavily.
"I can't believe we left our umbrellas at home — it's absolutely bucketing down out there."
bucket down
B1 informal intransitive
To rain very heavily and continuously.
In plain English
To rain really, really hard — like someone is pouring buckets of water from the sky.
What does "bucket down" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
For water to fall in bucket-sized quantities.
Actually means
To rain really, really hard — like someone is pouring buckets of water from the sky.
Usage tip
Typically used with 'it' as the subject (it's bucketing down). Primarily British and Australian English. Very vivid and colloquial. Signals strong, sustained heavy rainfall.
Words that pair with "bucket down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
rain outside storm weather umbrella
How to conjugate "bucket down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
bucket down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
buckets down
he/she/it
Past simple
bucketed down
yesterday
Past participle
bucketed down
have + pp
-ing form
bucketing down
continuous
Hear "bucket down" in the wild
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Other ways to say "bucket down"
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