kick off
Britishverb
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to start play in a game of football by kicking the ball from the centre of the field
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informal to commence a discussion, job, etc
noun
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a place kick from the centre of the field in a game of football
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the time at which the first such kick is due to take place
kickoff is at 2.30 p.m
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informal
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the beginning of something
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to begin with
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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]
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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.
Big banks will kick off quarterly earnings on Tuesday, even though the stock market will operate with normal hours on Monday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Freddie Freeman lined a single into right field to kick off the second inning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Many board meetings would kick off with tours of a certain museum, and Graves and a fellow Republican appointee, Adrian Smith of Nebraska, would often be taken aback by what they saw.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Donald Trump has welcomed Xi Jinping at the Joint Base Andrews with a red carpet and military flyover to kick off a historic three-day US visit.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
There’s no big ceremony or encouraging speeches to kick off the finale for the Junior Agent trainees.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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