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.
New Zealand earned a free kick in the 45th minute just outside the box.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Retiring at 60 is noble, but your Medicare does not kick in until you are 65.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
The way they were treated was a "massive kick in the teeth" and it had caused widespread anger, she said.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
The hangup was when a tax of 130 Canadian dollars a tonne, or the equivalent of about $95, would kick in.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
It starts to kick in after ten cards, and it’s really smart, because it picks up the problem with the red decks almost immediately.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
