Tub vs. Bucket — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on January 14, 2024
Tubs are typically larger, open-top containers used for bathing or washing, while buckets are smaller, cylindrical containers with a handle, used for carrying liquids or materials.
Difference Between Tub and Bucket
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A tub is generally a large, open-top container, often used for bathing or laundry. In contrast, a bucket is a smaller, usually cylindrical container with a handle, designed for carrying liquids and other materials.
Tubs are commonly found in bathrooms for personal hygiene, with a design suitable for immersing the body. Buckets, on the other hand, are versatile tools used in various settings like gardening, cleaning, and construction.
The size of a tub is significantly larger than a bucket, allowing for more capacity and space. Buckets are smaller, more portable, and are designed to be easily carried, often by a single handle.
Tubs are typically stationary and installed as part of a home's fixtures. Buckets are mobile and can be used in different locations, both indoors and outdoors.
Material-wise, tubs are usually made of ceramic, acrylic, or metal, while buckets are commonly made of plastic, metal, or wood.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Bathing, laundry
Carrying liquids, various materials
Size
Larger, for more capacity
Smaller, portable
Design
Open-top, often for immersion
Cylindrical with a handle
Mobility
Stationary, part of home fixtures
Mobile, used in various locations
Material
Ceramic, acrylic, metal
Plastic, metal, wood
Compare with Definitions
Tub
A large container typically used for bathing.
She filled the tub with warm water for a relaxing bath.
Bucket
A small container with a handle for carrying liquids.
He carried a bucket of water to mop the floor.
Tub
Commonly made of durable materials like ceramic or acrylic.
Their new bathroom featured an elegant ceramic tub.
Bucket
Portable and used in various settings like gardening.
She used a bucket to transport soil for her garden.
Tub
Often larger and suitable for immersing the body.
The spacious tub in their bathroom was perfect for soaking.
Bucket
Designed for easy carrying, typically with a single handle.
She carried a bucket filled with fresh apples from the orchard.
Tub
Can be used for laundry or storage in some contexts.
They used an old tub to store outdoor toys.
Bucket
Often cylindrical in shape, made of plastic, metal, or wood.
The wooden bucket added a rustic touch to the decor.
Tub
Typically a stationary fixture in homes.
The hotel room boasted a luxurious jacuzzi tub.
Bucket
Used in cleaning, construction, and other practical tasks.
The construction workers used buckets to mix cement.
Tub
A wide, open, deep, typically round container with a flat bottom used for holding liquids, growing plants, etc.
A rainwater tub
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.
Tub
A short, broad boat that handles awkwardly
The old tub's in need of a refit
Bucket
A cylindrical vessel used for holding or carrying liquids or solids; a pail.
Tub
Plant in a tub
Tubbed fruit trees
Bucket
The amount that a bucket can hold
One bucket of paint will be enough for the ceiling.
Tub
Wash or bathe in or as in a tub or bath
Even your formal evening gown can be tubbed
Bucket
A unit of dry measure in the US Customary System equal to 2 pecks (17.6 liters).
Tub
An open, flat-bottomed vessel, usually round and typically wider than it is deep, used for washing, packing, or storing.
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.
Tub
The amount that such a vessel can hold.
Bucket
(Basketball) A basket.
Tub
The contents of such a vessel.
Bucket
To hold, carry, or put in a bucket
Bucket up water from a well.
Tub
A bathtub.
Bucket
To ride (a horse) long and hard.
Tub
(Informal) A bath taken in a bathtub.
Bucket
To move or proceed rapidly and jerkily
Bucketing over the unpaved lane.
Tub
(Informal) A wide, clumsy, slow-moving boat.
Bucket
To make haste; hustle.
Tub
A bucket used for conveying ore or coal up a mine shaft.
Bucket
A container made of rigid material, often with a handle, used to carry liquids or small items.
Tub
A coal car used in a mine.
Bucket
The amount held in this container.
Tub
To pack or store in a tub.
Bucket
A large amount of liquid.
Tub
To wash or bathe in a tub.
Bucket
A great deal of anything.
Tub
To take a bath.
Bucket
A unit of measure equal to four gallons.
Tub
A flat-bottomed vessel, of width similar to or greater than its height, used for storing or packing things, or for washing things in.
He bought a tub of lard to roast the potatoes in.
Bucket
Part of a piece of machinery that resembles a bucket (container).
Tub
The contents or capacity of such a vessel.
She added a tub of margarine to the stew.
Bucket
An insult term used in Toronto to refer to someone who habitually uses crack cocaine.
Tub
A bathtub.
Bucket
(slang) An old vehicle that is not in good working order.
Tub
A slow-moving craft.
Bucket
The basket.
Tub
Any structure shaped like a tub, such as a certain old form of pulpit, a short broad boat, etc.
Bucket
A field goal.
Tub
A small cask.
A tub of gin
Bucket
(variation management) A mechanism for avoiding the allocation of targets in cases of mismanagement.
Tub
Any of various historically designated quantities of goods to be sold by the tub (butter, oysters, etc).
Bucket
(computing) A storage space in a hash table for every item sharing a particular key.
Tub
(mining) A box or bucket in which coal or ore is sent up a shaft.
Bucket
A turbine blade driven by hot gas or steam.
Tub
(obsolete) A sweating in a tub; a tub fast.
Bucket
A bucket bag.
Tub
(slang) A corpulent or obese person.
Bucket
The leather socket for holding the whip when driving, or for the carbine or lance when mounted.
Tub
(transitive) To plant, set, or store in a tub.
To tub a plant
Bucket
The pitcher in certain orchids.
Tub
(ambitransitive) To bathe in a tub.
Bucket
A helmet.
Tub
An open wooden vessel formed with staves, bottom, and hoops; a kind of short cask, half barrel, or firkin, usually with but one head, - used for various purposes.
Bucket
(transitive) To place inside a bucket.
Tub
The amount which a tub contains, as a measure of quantity; as, a tub of butter; a tub of camphor, which is about 1 cwt., etc.
Bucket
(transitive) To draw or lift in, or as if in, buckets.
Tub
Any structure shaped like a tub: as, a certain old form of pulpit; a short, broad boat, etc., - often used jocosely or opprobriously.
All being took up and busied, some in pulpits and some in tubs, in the grand work of preaching and holding forth.
Bucket
To rain heavily.
Tub
A sweating in a tub; a tub fast.
Bucket
To travel very quickly.
Tub
A small cask; as, a tub of gin.
Bucket
(transitive) To ride (a horse) hard or mercilessly.
Tub
A box or bucket in which coal or ore is sent up a shaft; - so called by miners.
Bucket
To criticize vehemently; to denigrate.
Tub
To plant or set in a tub; as, to tub a plant.
Bucket
To categorize (data) by splitting it into buckets, or groups of related items.
Tub
To make use of a bathing tub; to lie or be in a bath; to bathe.
Don't we all tub in England ?
Bucket
To make, or cause to make (the recovery), with a certain hurried or unskillful forward swing of the body.
Tub
A relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body
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.
Tub
A large open vessel for holding or storing liquids
Bucket
A vessel (as a tub or scoop) for hoisting and conveying coal, ore, grain, etc.
Tub
The amount that a tub will hold;
A tub of water
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.
Bucket
The valved piston of a lifting pump.
Bucket
One of vanes on the rotor of a turbine.
Bucket
A bucketfull.
Bucket
To draw or lift in, or as if in, buckets; as, to bucket water.
Bucket
To pour over from a bucket; to drench.
Bucket
To ride (a horse) hard or mercilessly.
Bucket
To make, or cause to make (the recovery), with a certain hurried or unskillful forward swing of the body.
Bucket
A roughly cylindrical that is vessel open at the top
Bucket
The quantity contained in a bucket
Bucket
Put into a bucket
Bucket
Carry in a bucket
Common Curiosities
What's the primary use of a tub?
Primarily for bathing or laundry.
Can buckets be used for storage?
Yes, they're versatile and can be used for storing various items.
What sizes do buckets come in?
Buckets vary in size but are generally smaller and portable.
Are tubs only found in bathrooms?
Mostly, but they can also be used outdoors or in laundry rooms.
Can I use a bucket for gardening?
Absolutely, buckets are very useful in gardening.
What's the average capacity of a bucket?
It varies, but common household buckets typically hold 10 to 20 liters.
Is it common to have a tub in every household?
Many homes have tubs, but it varies based on cultural and personal preferences.
Are tubs difficult to install?
They require more effort to install than buckets, often needing professional help.
Are there different styles of tubs?
Yes, including clawfoot, drop-in, freestanding, and more.
What materials are most buckets made of?
Commonly plastic, metal, or wood.
Can tubs be used for activities other than bathing?
Yes, like soaking laundry or even as decorative elements.
Is a tub a permanent fixture?
In most cases, yes, tubs are installed as permanent fixtures in homes.
Are buckets easy to clean?
Yes, most buckets are simple to clean due to their materials and design.
Can I carry heavy loads in a bucket?
Yes, but it depends on the bucket's material and size.
Do tubs require maintenance?
Yes, they need regular cleaning and occasional maintenance.
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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.
