kickoff

Or kick-off

[kik-awf, -of]

noun

1. Football.,  a place kick or a drop kick from the 40-yard line of the team kicking at the beginning of the first and third periods or after the team kicking has scored a touchdown or field goal.

2. Soccer.,  a kick that puts a stationary ball into play from the center line of the field at the start of a quarter or after a goal has been scored.

3. the initial stage of something; start; beginning.

   the campaign kickoff.

Word History and Origins

Origin of kickoff¹

First recorded in 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase kick off

Example Sentences

PDT, Skipper noted that the game’s location in East Lansing will make it really only a half hour earlier than UCLA’s 12:30 p.m. kickoff against the Nittany Lions in Pasadena.

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To understand just how remarkable Saturday’s game became, as it approached midnight in State College, Pa., you first have to understand just how dull it was just after kickoff some four hours earlier.

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Together, the two artists made the episode feel like more than a comedy kickoff — it was a cultural statement.

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Isaac Guerendo appeared to fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but officials ruled that he had been stopped before he lost the ball.

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USC coach Lincoln Riley declined to provide an update on Lane or Paige on Tuesday and instead referred reporters to the Big Ten’s availability report, which is released two hours before kickoff every Saturday.

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