kick-start

American

[kik-stahrt] / ˈkɪkˌstɑrt /

Or kickstart

verb (used with object)

to start by means of a kick starter.

to kick-start a motorcycle.

kick-start British

/ ˈkɪkˌstɑːt /

verb

to start (a motorcycle engine) by means of a pedal that is kicked downwards
informal to make (something) active, functional, or productive again

"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

an action or event resulting in the reactivation of something

"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

Other Word Forms

kick-starter noun

Etymology

Origin of kick-start

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

I gave him $5,000 a few years ago to help kick-start him.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

Newcastle are simply running out of fixtures to finally kick-start their Premier League season once and for all.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

Shares sank 6% on Monday as Wall Street seemed to take Bhusri’s return as a sign of Workday’s struggles rather than the kick-start the company needs.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

Da Silva said the launch of phase two of the Gaza truce plan marked a "historical" moment that should be seized to kick-start reconstruction efforts.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

Maybe all hospitals should import groups of rabble-rousing punk rockers to kick-start the languishing patients’ hearts.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023