The term "chum bucket" has multiple meanings:
- A chum bucket is a real, physical bucket used in fishing or marine biology filled with "chum," which is a mixture of chopped fish parts and blood used as bait to attract predatory fish or sharks.
- The Chum Bucket is a fictional, unsuccessful restaurant in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It is run by the character Plankton and his computer wife Karen. The restaurant is known for selling a food called chum, which is generally inedible and unpopular among the citizens of Bikini Bottom. It is located across the street from its rival restaurant, the Krusty Krab, which sells the much more popular Krabby Patties.
- In online advertising, "chumbox" can refer to a form of advertising that uses attention-catching links and images.
Additionally, the name "Chum Bucket" in SpongeBob SquarePants is a play on words related to the term "scumbucket," which means a sleazy or despicable person. These contexts highlight chum buckets as an actual fishing tool and its cultural usage in animation and advertising.