kick in
Britishverb
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(intr) to start or become activated
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informal (tr) to contribute
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Contribute one's share, as in We'll kick in half if you take care of the rest . [ Colloquial ; c. 1900]
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Also, kick off . Die, as in No one knows when he'll kick in , or He finally kicked off yesterday . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s] Also see kick the bucket .
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Begin to operate, as in Finally the motor kicked in and we could get started . This usage was first recorded in 1908.
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.
The decision to refuse her a visa was "a kick in the teeth", she says.
From BBC
For a few months, until its long-term contracts kick in around October, it can sell what it produces from that plant to the highest bidder.
From Barron's
In a previous interview, Luna referred to the spate of death at the start of the year as a “kick in the groin.”
From Los Angeles Times
Pollard said: "The problem with vaccination is it doesn't protect you immediately and it takes some time after vaccination for the immune response to kick in."
From BBC
"It doesn't kick in until 1 April either, so that's not going to help people who need to fill their tanks up now," he said.
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.
