kick off

verb

1. to start play in a game of football by kicking the ball from the centre of the field

2. informal,  to commence a discussion, job, etc

noun

1. 1. a place kick from the centre of the field in a game of football

   2. the time at which the first such kick is due to take place

      kickoff is at 2.30 p.m

2. informal

   1. the beginning of something

   2. to begin with

Idioms and Phrases

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]

See kick in , def. 2.

Example Sentences

The 22-year-old is known for filming provocative videos involving pranks, with titles like "I got kicked off a cruise" and "I crashed into a cop car".

Read more on BBC

Get Me Out of Here! kicks off on Sunday night, with former Lioness Alex Scott, TV personality Jack Osbourne and comedian Ruby Wax among those being dumped in the middle of the Australian outback.

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With America’s 250th anniversary celebrations set to kick off in 2026, and when the nation is dangerously divided, Burns, Botstein and Schmidt’s work reminds us yet again that we have been to the brink before.

Read more on Salon

“It kicks off our high season, and it is one moment—the other one being the actual Super Bowl—where it’s basically everyone in the country just stuffing their face.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The annual MarketWatch 25 kicked off this week, featuring in-depth interviews with people who have a lot of influence on your money, your work and even your health.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• admit 
• bring in 
• establish 
• found 
• initiate 
• install 
• invent 
• launch 
• organize 
• plan 
• present 
• set up 
• start 
• unveil