bucket down

bucket down — phrasal verb

  • bucket downbase form
  • buckets down3rd person singular
  • bucketing down-ing form
  • bucketed downpast simple

1. used to describe an extremely heavy fall of rain that continues steadily — for e

1.片語動詞不及物B2
釋義

used to describe an extremely heavy fall of rain that continues steadily — for example, when the downpour is so intense that you get soaked within seconds or can barely see across the street.

例句

Ryo looked out the window, saw it was bucketing down, and grabbed his umbrella.

continuous form: 'was bucketing down' for ongoing heavy rain

Eric got soaked because it bucketed down the moment he stepped off the bus.

simple past: 'it bucketed down' + cause-effect with 'because'

同義詞
  • pour down

    more neutral in register, works in both British and American English

  • teem down

    also British informal, similar frequency; slightly less common than 'bucket down'

  • come down in sheets

    idiomatic and vivid, emphasises the visual effect of rain falling heavily in layers

反義詞
  • drizzle

    describes light, gentle rain — the opposite of a downpour

文法句型

it + bucket down

用法筆記

Only used with 'it' as the subject (the weather 'it'). Very common in informal British English; almost never heard in American English. Typically describes a sudden, intense downpour rather than steady light rain, and often appears in continuous forms ('it is bucketing down').

常見錯誤

❌The rain is bucketing down on the roof.
✅It is bucketing down outside.
💡The subject must be 'it' (the weather dummy subject), not 'the rain'.
❌It was bucketing down lightly when I left.
✅It was bucketing down
💡I got drenched in ten seconds.' — 'Bucket down' always means heavy rain, never light rain.