kick in
verb
kicked in; kicking in; kicks in
1
: to begin operating or having an effect : get started
waiting for the heater to kick in
2
: to make a contribution
3
slang
: die
Examples of kick in in a Sentence
if everyone in the department kicks in, we can give him an especially nice present for his retirement
the ornery cuss finally kicked in at the ripe old age of 90
Recent Examples on the Web
Vacherot had the chance to send Djokovic deeper into the abyss in the opening game of the second set, which lasted 14 points and was too much, too soon for Djokovic’s treatment to have kicked in.
—
James Hansen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
At that point, negative reinforcement kicks in.
—Claire Wilcox, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
In contrast, traditional animation storylines have to be locked before production kicks in, or reworked at large cost.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Austin, Texas When cooler temperatures kick in, Austin morphs into a fine shoulder season getaway.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kick in
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James Hansen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
At that point, negative reinforcement kicks in.
—Claire Wilcox, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
In contrast, traditional animation storylines have to be locked before production kicks in, or reworked at large cost.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Austin, Texas When cooler temperatures kick in, Austin morphs into a fine shoulder season getaway.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kick in
Cite this Entry
“Kick in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kick%20in. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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