kick around

verb

kicked around; kicking around; kicks around

intransitive verb

1

: to wander or pass time aimlessly

2

a

: to lie about mostly unnoticed or forgotten

b

: to undergo consideration usually intermittently over a period of time

ideas that have been kicking around for years

transitive verb

1

: to treat in an inconsiderate or high-handed fashion

2

: to consider, examine, or discuss from various angles

Synonyms

• chew over
• cogitate
• consider
• contemplate
• debate
• deliberate
• entertain
• eye
• meditate
• mull (over)
• perpend
• ponder
• pore (over)
• question
• revolve
• ruminate
• study
• think (about or over)
• turn
• weigh
• wrestle (with)

Examples of kick around in a Sentence

the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office

I really can't do much but kick around at work until I get the rest of the submissions.

Recent Examples on the Web

The foursome kicked around names for their group – The Dream Team? —Brian Martin, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2024

Remember, Intel was recently reported to be kicking around ideas for the business, including a sale or spinoff. —Pete Gannon, Axios, 16 Sep. 2024

Lots of ideas were being kicked around five years ago, when there was basically zero climate policy during the Trump years. —NBC News, 15 Sep. 2024

Campero, 26, had kicked around the New York Yankees’ and Angels’ farm systems for seven years before finally getting his first taste of the big leagues this week. —Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1