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.
And others, as he weighed his options, tried to help him kick around how he might deal with the scenario he now confronts.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
A nearby park, where teenagers kick around soccer balls and giggling packs of children roam after school, was empty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
“We don't have El Niño to kick around anymore,” Yulsman said.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2025
The 2024-25 basketball season will pose next-level challenges for the Mountain West and West Coast conferences, which won’t have the Pac-12 to kick around anymore.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
All I can do is sort of kick around a little, let her know where I am.
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
