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.
The arm-wrestling will kick off in earnest at a Brussels summit in October, with a likely second meeting in November, before a grand finale in December when leaders will look to seal the deal.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
The merry-go-round has reached such unsafe speeds that fewer than half the coaches who will kick off their seasons this week have completed at least one Premier League season in their current postings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
On Wednesday, he wore a red scarf as he struck the gong to kick off trading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The first test of Uefa's threat is just over three weeks away, when the Fifa Under-20 Women's World Cup is set to kick off.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
But she had not dared to sleep, for fear she would kick off the blanket and give herself away—give the Tucks away—unwittingly.
From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit
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.
