kickback
[ kik-bak ]
/ ˈkɪkˌbæk /
noun
a percentage of income given to a person in a position of power or influence as payment for having made the income possible: usually considered improper or unethical.
a rebate, usually given secretively by a seller to a buyer or to one who influenced the buyer.
the practice of an employer or a person in a supervisory position of taking back a portion of the wages due workers.
a response, usually vigorous.
a sudden, uncontrolled movement of a machine, tool, or other device, as on starting or in striking an obstruction: A kickback from a chain saw can be dangerous.
Nearby words
Origin of kickback
1930–35, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase kick back
Related formsan·ti·kick·back, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for kickback
British Dictionary definitions for kickback
kickback
/ (ˈkɪkˌbæk) /
noun
a strong reaction
part of an income paid to a person having influence over the size or payment of the income, esp by some illegal arrangement
verb kick back (adverb)
(intr) to have a strong reaction
(intr) (esp of a gun) to recoil
to pay a kickback to (someone)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for kickback
kickback
also kick-back, c.1900 in various mechanical senses, from kick (v.) + back (adv.). By 1926 in a slang sense of "be forced to return pelf, pay back to victims," which was extended to illegal partial give-backs of government-set wages that were extorted from workers by employers. Hence sense of "illegal or improper payment" (1932).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper