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.
Then, as Scotland were about to kick off their first World Cup campaign in almost three decades, there was the news that head coach Derek McInnes was also on his way to Ibrox.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
"Microglia are immune cells that, when they respond to plaques, kick off this elaborate cascade of inflammation, as if the microglia are partying all night, and keeping the brain awake."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
L7’s last album, “Scatter the Rats,” was released in 2019, and its final tour, “The Last Hurrah,” is booked to kick off in San Diego on Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Bank earnings kick off in earnest Tuesday, with results from JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup all due before the open.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
He wasn’t, he said, the kind to kick off his shoes and sit by the stove.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
