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Synonyms

kick off

British  

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
kick off Idioms  

  1. 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]

  2. 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.

Kick off 2026 with 10 must-read books, including a bold “Moby Dick” retelling by Xiaolu Guo, Daniyal Mueenuddin’s stunning Pakistani epic and Jennifer Breheny Wallace’s guide to finding purpose.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

Kick off has been delayed by 10 minutes to 17:40 BST...

From BBC • May 3, 2024

Kick off Seattle’s 49th annual Pride Month celebration at Pride in the Park, Seattle Pride’s annual festival celebrating queer arts, music, performance and culture.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2023

Kick off the Year of the Rabbit with rabbit-themed gift ideas you may want to get for yourself, including chocolates, clothing, candles, lipstick and more.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2023

Kick off, even dough you stick on like Chico.”

From In the Wilds of Africa by Pearse, Alfred

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.