The two nouns bucket and pail refer to a cylindrical open container with a handle. Pails or buckets are usually made of metal or plastic and used to hold and carry liquids. In most instances, these two words can be used as synonyms. However, there are certain occasions where they cannot be used interchangeably because bucket has a more extensive set of meanings. In addition, bucket is also more commonly used than pail. This difference in usage can be identified as the key difference between bucket and pail.
Key Takeaways
- Both bucket and pail refer to a cylindrical container with an open top and a handle, usually made of metal or plastic.
- Bucket is more commonly used than pail and has more extensive meanings.
- There are instances where bucket and pail cannot be used interchangeably due to the different meanings of bucket.
Understanding the Bucket
The noun bucket mainly refers to an open container with a handle. The Oxford dictionary defines bucket as “roughly cylindrical open container with a handle, made of metal or plastic and used to hold and carry liquids”. However, this word has many other meanings apart from this primary meaning. It can refer to:
- Something that resembles a bucket (Ex: scoop attached to the front of a loader, digger, or tractor)
- Large quantities of something (informal meaning)
Example Sentences:
- I emptied a bucket of cold water over her.
- She wept a bucket.
- He has already got buckets of CDs.
- His wife brought the ice bucket.
- The bucket bit into the river bed and scooped out the soil.
Bucket is also used as a verb in informal British English to refer to heavy raining. Ex: It was still bucketing.
It’s bucketing down.
Defining a Pail
Pail is a cylindrical container with an open top and a handle. Pail is synonymous with bucket, i.e., pail and bucket refer to the same object. However, the usage of these words differs slightly since bucket has many other figurative meanings. As long as you are referring to an open container with a handle, you can replace bucket with pail.
- She emptied a pail of water over the campfire.
- The maid brought a mop and a pail to clean the mess we made.
- He dropped the pail of milk on the ground.
Some instances where bucket and pail cannot be used interchangeably.
- She wept buckets. (She cried a lot.)
- She wept pails.
- He kicked the bucket. (He died.)
- He kicked the pail
Difference Between Bucket and Pail
- Both bucket and pail refer to a cylindrical container with an open top and a handle.
- It is made of wood, metal, or plastic and used to hold or carry water or other liquids.
- Bucket is more commonly used than pail.
- Bucket also has many other meanings.
- Therefore, one should be careful in using these two nouns interchangeably.
