kickoff
or kick-off
Football. a place kick or a drop kick from the 40-yard line of the team kicking at the beginning of the first and third periods or after the team kicking has scored a touchdown or field goal.
Soccer. a kick that puts a stationary ball into play from the center line of the field at the start of a quarter or after a goal has been scored.
the initial stage of something; start; beginning: the campaign kickoff.
Origin of kickoff
1Words Nearby kickoff
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use kickoff in a sentence
Rookie Rodrigo Blankenship, who kicks field goals and extra points for the Colts, also handled kickoffs on Sunday.
Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez says he’ll have surgery to remove cancerous tumor | Matt Bonesteel | November 30, 2020 | Washington PostIt had a scheduled open date, then an unscheduled open date when Florida State canceled last week’s game a few hours before kickoff over covid concerns, which did not go over well with Swinney.
College football winners and losers: Pac-12 playoff hopes disappear with Oregon’s loss | Patrick Stevens | November 29, 2020 | Washington PostSarah Fuller becomes the first woman to kick for a Power Five school with this kickoff.
Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller becomes first woman to play in a Power Five football game | Cindy Boren, Matt Bonesteel | November 28, 2020 | Washington PostThe attention-starved Power Five conference is experimenting with early kickoffs this season to see if it can boost TV ratings and give Pac-12 teams a bigger share of the national spotlight.
Fox Sports college football pregame show hosts will miss Saturday’s broadcast | Matt Bonesteel | November 5, 2020 | Washington PostThis week, we talk to Laura about the challenges of doing rigorous reporting on a topic that a lot of people don’t take seriously and share the kickoff episode of her otherworldly new series.
What We Really Know About Life in Outer Space | Outside Editors | September 17, 2020 | Outside Online
Because the marketing of the screening included a rainbow flag and said it was to be the kickoff of “LGBT Awareness Month.”
Catholic University’s Harvey Milk Ban Reflects A Church In Transition | Jay Michaelson | October 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMay marks the true kickoff of primary season for the 2014 elections.
Joe Paterno, something of a god himself, saw none of it; he was minutes from the kickoff.
The Stacks: The True Greatness of Muhammad Ali | Peter Richmond | February 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTech giants including Mark Zuckerberg meet at the Mobile World Congress kickoff in Barcelona.
The Daily Beast Looks Ahead: February 24 - March 2 | Brandy Zadrozny | February 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf there was any hope for an epic comeback, Percy Harvin quashed it by taking the second half kickoff to the house.
Super Blowout: Seahawks Buck Broncos to Take Home the Championship Title | Ben Teitelbaum | February 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for kick off
to start play in a game of football by kicking the ball from the centre of the field
informal to commence a discussion, job, etc
a place kick from the centre of the field in a game of football
the time at which the first such kick is due to take place: kickoff is at 2.30 p.m
informal
the beginning of something
for a kickoff to begin with
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with kickoff
Start, begin, as in They kicked off the celebration with a parade. This term alludes to starting play by kicking the ball in soccer, football, and similar sports. [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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