kick around
Idioms-
Treat badly, abuse, as in I'm sick and tired of being kicked around by my supervisor . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]
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Also, kick about . Move from place to place, as in They spent three years kicking around the country on their bikes , or We've no address; we're just kicking about until we find somewhere to settle . [ Colloquial ; early 1800s]
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Also, kick about . Consider, think about or discuss; examine or try out. For example, Let's kick this scenario around for a while and see what we come up with , or We've been kicking about various schemes to make money . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]
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Be available or unused, as in This old computer has been kicking around for months—no one seems to want it . [c. 1900]
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.
I felt the anxiety kicking around in my chest, and then I just… unloaded.
From Literature
A nearby park, where teenagers kick around soccer balls and giggling packs of children roam after school, was empty.
From Los Angeles Times
This idea has been kicking around for many years, with the intention that if the watch is stopped, teams can't waste time.
From BBC
He kicked around the idea of adapting the interview with Hujar but knew that filming in just one space was a high-stakes gambit.
From Los Angeles Times
For those who have kicked around at Westminster for a while, there is something familiar about it too.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
