kick-up
noun
a violent disturbance or argument.
kick up
British
verb
-
informal to cause (trouble, a fuss, etc)
-
See bobsy-die
kick up
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of kick-up
First recorded in 1790–95; kick ( def. ) + up ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
He describes his campaign as the "kick-up the backside" for Wales to make them an important part of national culture to bring supporters, young and old, together.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2022
“It’ll kick-up this afternoon over southern Kansas and about all of Oklahoma, with rain, wind gusts of 65 mph, hail and tornadoes.”
From Reuters ● Apr. 17, 2019
I mean, my biggest fear is that we get a big kick-up in the economy and suddenly it’s only $800 million.
From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2011
Also check that the kick-up mechanism is operating properly.
From Time Magazine Archive
Every one must be affected, even if they haven't people of their own in the show, by the general kick-up.
From Non-combatants and Others by Dame Rose Macaulay
According to one popular saying, Andean provinces are so arid that fish kick up clouds of dust as they swim through their rivers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
The wind doesn’t look too bad right now, but it will inevitably kick up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
"I gave myself a kick up the backside and said I would make an album, a real bedroom project," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
It’s only when everyday people kick up enough fuss that they attempt to save face.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2025
“I remember the way your father checked the wind was to kick up dust with his sandal, see which way the wind blew it. He knew a lot of little tricks like that,” I said.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
