bit bucket

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bit bucket

/ˈbɪt ˌbʌ.kɪt/ UK
/-kət/ UK
/ˈbɪt ˌbʌ.kət/ US
/-kɪt/ US

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from bit (“small amount of something; smallest unit of storage in a digital computer, consisting of a binary digit”) + bucket. Bit in this context originally referred to small pieces of paper punched out from paper tape or punch cards (see sense 1), but came to be regarded as the unit of data storage (sense 2).

The verb is derived from the noun.

noun bit buckets · bitbucket · bit-bucket

historical A container for holding chad (“small punched-out pieces of paper”) from paper tape or punch cards used with teleprinters, early computers, and other machines. The lost bits fall into a container called a bit bucket. They are emptied periodically and the collected bits are used for confetti at weddings, parties, and other festive occasions.
Similar: chad box
broadly, humorous, slang An imaginary domain that accepts lost, discarded, or useless digital data that does not reach its intended destination, such as data lost in transmission or due to errors; the notional resting place of lost or missing digital information. Applications [...] Overflow register (bit bucket)
Similar: black hole, byte bucket, great bit bucket in the sky, memory hole

verb bit buckets · bit bucketing · bit bucketed · bitbucket · bit-bucket

humorous, slang, transitive To delete. This DSC receives all inputs and performs all computations in synchronization with the online computer; however, the DSC outputs are "bit bucketed."

Translations

Every language

noun supposed place where bits go when they fall off the end of a register during a shift operation

日本語	ビットバケツ
中文	比特垃圾桶 bǐtèlājītǒng

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MLA

"bit bucket." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bit%20bucket. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bit bucket. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bit%20bucket

Chicago

"bit bucket." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bit%20bucket.

BibTeX

@misc{bit_bucket_2026,
  title = {bit bucket},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bit%20bucket},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}