kick-ass
adjective
strikingly or overwhelmingly tough, aggressive, powerful, or effective.
kick-ass
American
[kik-as]
/ ˈkɪkˌæs /
Or
kickass
adjective
Slang.
kick ass
British
verb
adjective
kick ass
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of kick-ass
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.
See Examples For:
Sarah Emsley of its UK publishers HarperCollins said it was "bursting with the honesty, intelligence, humour and kick-ass spirit that I was hoping for".
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024
Two new categories this year are best reality on-screen team and best kick-ass cast.
From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023
“First and foremost, we want to make a kick-ass, entertaining, joyful revival production of this great play,” he said.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2023
Everyone wants everyone to do well and do the most kick-ass show possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2022
There were no term limits, and those two geezers had been doing a kick-ass job of protecting user rights for over a decade.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
I would like to think I also kick ass at work like Hildy, I am in banking and finance and I think I look good while doing good work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026
Sabalenka responded by saying she was ready to "kick ass" -- setting up an intriguing end to the 2025 tennis season.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
I’m excited for you to kick ass and take names.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2022
But bending her deeply ingrained poise into a more ungainly, everyday shape — while continuing to kick ass — may be Yeoh’s most complicated assignment yet.
From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2022
If I could kick ass in the school talent show two years in a row, I can kick ass now.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
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.
