alive and kicking

Idioms

Also, alive and well. Alive and alert; living and healthy. For example, John's completely recovered; he's alive and kicking, or You're quite mistaken; our lawyer is alive and well. The first expression, sometimes shortened to live and kicking, originally was used by fishmongers hawking their wares to convince customers of their freshness and has been considered a cliché since about 1850. The variant originated in the 1960s as a denial of someone's reported death.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Dude-bro culture is alive and kicking, especially in a highly energized manosphere.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

In other words mRNA-recipes of certain proteins show that the viruses are alive and kicking.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2024

As for the issue once described as Scotland's shame - few would argue that sectarianism isn't alive and kicking inside Scottish football grounds in 2024.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2024

And yet, the Rams’ playoff hopes are still alive and kicking.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2024

It took a while, but the calf came out alive and kicking.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

alive and kicking

Example Sentences

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