Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

kick off

British  

verb

  1. to start play in a game of football by kicking the ball from the centre of the field

  2. informal to commence a discussion, job, etc

"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

noun

    1. a place kick from the centre of the field in a game of football

    2. the time at which the first such kick is due to take place

      kickoff is at 2.30 p.m

  2. informal

    1. the beginning of something

    2. 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
kick off Idioms  

  1. 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]

  2. See kick in , def. 2.

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.

Presentations by the traditional studios kick off on Monday, when Sony will reveal what it has in store for 2026.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

A bright spot for the war-weary investors is corporate earnings, which kick off in earnest next week with reports from major banks including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

But the Aston Villa player, who has shone as a number 10 during qualifying, will probably not be playing in that position when England kick off their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Tesla and SpaceX will kick off the Terafab project with an advanced technology fab in Texas.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

“Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard,” said Madam Hooch.

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

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.