Basket vs. Bucket — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 22, 2023
A basket is typically a woven container, often open-top, used for holding or carrying items, while a bucket is a cylindrical, watertight container with a handle, primarily for holding liquids.
Difference Between Basket and Bucket
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A basket is traditionally constructed by weaving materials like straw, wood, or wicker. It is often lightweight and can be designed in various shapes, sizes, and patterns. Baskets have been used across cultures and times for multiple purposes – from food storage to carrying goods. Bucket, in contrast, is a more solid and robust container, often cylindrical, designed mainly to hold liquids. It usually features a handle at the top and might be made from plastic, metal, or wood.
While baskets often have an intricate design due to their weaving process, buckets tend to be simpler and more utilitarian in their appearance. A picnic might include a decorative basket to carry sandwiches and fruits, while a cleaning task would utilize a bucket to hold water or cleaning solutions.
It's important to note the functional aspect of both items. Baskets, being woven, aren't suitable for holding water or fine-grained substances. Buckets, with their watertight design, are perfect for such tasks, making them essential in chores like mopping or washing cars.
That said, both baskets and buckets have found their metaphorical usage in the English language. Someone might "put all their eggs in one basket," implying risk by over-relying on one thing. Similarly, "a drop in the bucket" signifies a very small portion of a larger whole.
Comparison Chart
Material
Traditionally woven from materials like straw or wicker.
Typically made from plastic, metal, or wood.
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Main Purpose
Used for holding or carrying items, not watertight.
Designed primarily for holding liquids, watertight.
Construction
Often lightweight with a weave pattern.
More solid, usually cylindrical.
Typical Use Case
Picnics, shopping, decorative storage.
Cleaning, carrying water, gardening.
Metaphorical Usage
"Put all eggs in one basket" - relying too much on one thing.
"Drop in the bucket" - a tiny portion of something much larger
Compare with Definitions
Basket
Basket is a receptacle in various sports, such as basketball, where points are scored.
He made an impressive shot right into the basket.
Bucket
Bucket is a cylindrical container with a handle, used for holding or carrying liquids.
I need a bucket of water to wash the car.
Basket
Basket can be a casual term for a situation or condition.
That entire situation was a basket case.
Bucket
Bucket signifies a large quantity of something.
He ate a bucket of popcorn during the movie.
Basket
A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehair, baleen, or metal wire can be used.
Bucket
Bucket, in computing, refers to a storage space or category.
Data was sorted into different buckets based on criteria.
Basket
A container used to hold or carry things, typically made from interwoven strips of cane or wire
A shopping basket
She dropped the letter into the waste-paper basket
A laundry basket
Bucket
A bucket is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone or square, with an open top and a flat bottom, attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail.A bucket is usually an open-top container. In contrast, a pail can have a top or lid and is a shipping container.
Basket
A net fixed on a hoop used as the goal.
Bucket
A cylindrical vessel used for holding or carrying liquids or solids; a pail.
Basket
Euphemism for bastard (sense 1 of the noun)
You silly basket
Bucket
The amount that a bucket can hold
One bucket of paint will be enough for the ceiling.
Basket
A container made of interwoven material, such as rushes or twigs.
Bucket
A unit of dry measure in the US Customary System equal to 2 pecks (17.6 liters).
Basket
The amount that a basket can hold.
Bucket
A receptacle on various machines, such as the scoop of a power shovel or the compartments on a water wheel, used to gather and convey material.
Basket
An item resembling such a container in shape or function.
Bucket
(Basketball) A basket.
Basket
A usually open gondola suspended from a hot-air balloon.
Bucket
To hold, carry, or put in a bucket
Bucket up water from a well.
Basket
A group of related things, such as financial securities or products in a specific market.
Bucket
To ride (a horse) long and hard.
Basket
Either of the two goals normally elevated ten feet above the floor, consisting of a metal hoop from which an open-bottomed circular net is suspended.
Bucket
To move or proceed rapidly and jerkily
Bucketing over the unpaved lane.
Basket
A field goal.
Bucket
To make haste; hustle.
Basket
(Sports) A usually circular or star-shaped structure at the base of a ski pole, used to prevent the pole from sinking too deeply into the snow.
Bucket
A container made of rigid material, often with a handle, used to carry liquids or small items.
Basket
A lightweight container, generally round, open at the top, and tapering toward the bottom.
A basket of fake fruit adorned the table.
Bucket
The amount held in this container.
Basket
(by extension) A bed for a cat.
Bucket
A large amount of liquid.
Basket
A wire or plastic container similar in shape to a basket, used for carrying articles for purchase in a shop.
Bucket
A great deal of anything.
Basket
(internet) In an online shop, a listing of a customer's chosen items before they are ordered.
Bucket
A unit of measure equal to four gallons.
Basket
(figurative) A set or collection of intangible things.
Bucket
Part of a piece of machinery that resembles a bucket (container).
Basket
(basketball) A circular hoop, from which a net is suspended, which is the goal through which the players try to throw the ball.
The point guard drove toward the basket.
Bucket
An insult term used in Toronto to refer to someone who habitually uses crack cocaine.
Basket
(basketball) The act of putting the ball through the basket, thereby scoring points.
The last-second basket sealed the victory.
Bucket
(slang) An old vehicle that is not in good working order.
Basket
(uncountable) The game of basketball.
Let's play some basket.
Bucket
The basket.
Basket
A dance movement in some line dances, where men put their arms round the women's lower backs, and the women put their arms over the men's shoulders, and the group (usually of four, any more is difficult) spins round, which should result in the women's feet leaving the ground.
Bucket
A field goal.
Basket
The male genitalia and region surrounding it.
Bucket
(variation management) A mechanism for avoiding the allocation of targets in cases of mismanagement.
Basket
(slang) The bulge of the male genitals seen through clothing.
Bucket
(computing) A storage space in a hash table for every item sharing a particular key.
Basket
(obsolete) In a stage-coach, two outside seats facing each other.
Bucket
A turbine blade driven by hot gas or steam.
Basket
(archaic) A protection for the hand on a sword or a singlestick; a guard of a bladed weapon.
Bucket
A bucket bag.
Basket
A singlestick with a basket hilt.
Bucket
The leather socket for holding the whip when driving, or for the carbine or lance when mounted.
Basket
(ballooning) The gondola or wicker basket suspended from the balloon, in which the pilot and passengers travel.
Bucket
The pitcher in certain orchids.
Basket
(architecture) The bell or vase of the Corinthian capital.
Bucket
A helmet.
Basket
Bastard.
Wait till I catch you, you little basket!
Bucket
(transitive) To place inside a bucket.
Basket
A drogue (or para-drogue) in the probe-and-drogue refueling method
Don't smoosh the basket.
Bucket
(transitive) To draw or lift in, or as if in, buckets.
Basket
(transitive) To place in a basket or baskets.
Bucket
To rain heavily.
Basket
To cross-collateralize the royalty advances for multiple works so that the creator is not paid until all of those works have achieved a certain level of success.
Bucket
To travel very quickly.
Basket
A vessel made of osiers or other twigs, cane, rushes, splints, or other flexible material, interwoven.
Bucket
(transitive) To ride (a horse) hard or mercilessly.
Basket
The contents of a basket; as much as a basket contains; as, a basket of peaches.
Bucket
To criticize vehemently; to denigrate.
Basket
The bell or vase of the Corinthian capital.
Bucket
To categorize (data) by splitting it into buckets, or groups of related items.
Basket
The two back seats facing one another on the outside of a stagecoach.
Bucket
To make, or cause to make (the recovery), with a certain hurried or unskillful forward swing of the body.
Basket
A container shaped like a basket{1}, even if made of solid material rather than woven; - the top is often, but not always, open and without a lid.
Bucket
A vessel for drawing up water from a well, or for catching, holding, or carrying water, sap, or other liquids.
The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket,The moss-covered bucket, which hung in the well.
Basket
A vessel suspended below a balloon, designed to carry people or measuring instruments for scientific research.
Bucket
A vessel (as a tub or scoop) for hoisting and conveying coal, ore, grain, etc.
Basket
A goal{3} consisting of a short cylindrical net suspended from a circular rim, which itself is attached at about ten feet above floor level to a backboard, placed at the end of a basketball court. In professional basketball, two such baskets are used, one at each end of the court, and each team may score only by passing the ball though its own basket. In informal games, only one such basket is often used.
Bucket
One of the receptacles on the rim of a water wheel into which the water rushes, causing the wheel to revolve; also, a float of a paddle wheel.
Basket
An instance of scoring points by throwing the basketball through the basket; as, he threw four baskets in the first quarter; - the ball must pass through the basket from above in order to score points.
Bucket
The valved piston of a lifting pump.
Basket
To put into a basket.
Bucket
One of vanes on the rotor of a turbine.
Basket
A container that is usually woven and has handles
Bucket
A bucketfull.
Basket
The quantity contained in a basket
Bucket
To draw or lift in, or as if in, buckets; as, to bucket water.
Basket
Horizontal hoop with a net through which players try to throw the basketball
Bucket
To pour over from a bucket; to drench.
Basket
A score in basketball made by throwing the ball through the hoop
Bucket
To ride (a horse) hard or mercilessly.
Basket
Basket is a woven container used for storage or carrying.
She placed fresh fruits in the basket for the picnic.
Bucket
To make, or cause to make (the recovery), with a certain hurried or unskillful forward swing of the body.
Basket
Basket refers to a group or range of financial instruments.
The investment basket included both stocks and bonds.
Bucket
A roughly cylindrical that is vessel open at the top
Basket
Basket is a structure suspended from a hot-air balloon, carrying passengers.
We climbed into the basket, ready for our balloon adventure.
Bucket
The quantity contained in a bucket
Bucket
Put into a bucket
Bucket
Carry in a bucket
Bucket
Bucket can refer to a compartment on machinery, like a wheel or excavator.
The wheel's buckets scooped up water as it turned.
Bucket
Bucket can mean a list or number of tasks to accomplish before a specific time.
Skydiving was on her bucket list.
Common Curiosities
Can both baskets and buckets be made from plastic?
Yes, both can be made from plastic, though their designs and purposes may differ.
Why do buckets have handles?
Handles make it easier to carry or pour the contents, especially liquids.
Why are buckets typically cylindrical?
The cylindrical shape provides stability and even weight distribution, especially for liquids.
Can you carry water in a basket?
Generally, no, as baskets are not watertight due to their woven construction.
Are there sports that use the term "basket"?
Yes, for example, basketball involves scoring points by getting a ball into a basket.
Can baskets be sealed or closed?
While traditional baskets are open, some modern baskets come with lids or closures.
How are buckets different from pails?
The terms are often used interchangeably, but pails might be smaller or have a more specific purpose.
Are baskets always woven?
Traditionally, baskets are woven, but modern ones can be made of other materials without weaving.
Are baskets only used for storage?
No, baskets can be decorative, used in sports, or even for transportation in the case of hot-air balloons.
What's a "bucket list"?
It's a list of things someone wants to do or achieve before they die.
Can a bucket refer to something in computing?
Yes, in computing, a "bucket" can mean a storage space or category, especially in data sorting.
Can baskets support heavy weights?
It depends on the material and construction, but woven baskets may not be as sturdy as solid containers like buckets.
Are buckets used in agriculture?
Yes, buckets are often used in agriculture for tasks like watering plants or feeding animals.
Can baskets be made from metal?
Yes, some modern baskets are made from metal wires, often for decorative purposes.
What does the phrase "a drop in the bucket" mean?
It means a very small or insignificant part of something much larger.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
