kickup

1 of 2

noun

kick·​up ˈkik-ˌəp How to pronounce kickup (audio)
: a noisy quarrel : row

kick up

2 of 2

verb

kicked up; kicking up; kicks up

transitive verb

1
: to cause to rise upward
clouds of dust kicked up by passing cars
2
: to stir up : provoke
kick up a fuss

intransitive verb

: to give evidence of disorder

Examples of kickup in a Sentence

Noun after their last kickup, they didn't speak to each other for a week
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Our Mustang had the Mach 1 Handling package, which raised its price by $3750 but earned its keep with gloriously sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, a rear spoiler with a cute Gurney kickup, and adjustable strut mounts. Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 27 June 2022
Verb
Some lawyers predicted that it would be kicked up to federal court and buried in delays, largely because it was related to a federal-election campaign. Michael Rothfeld Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024 Strong winds kicked up Sunday, giving the waves a haircut. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024 Lottery fever is kicking up yet again across the U.S. as its major jackpots continue to grow. Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 25 Mar. 2024 Additionally, there’s a mounting pile of evidence that heavier vehicles can pollute the Earth in other ways by kicking up brake dust and rubber from tires that wear away on the road. Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Track the state’s water supply » • Read more Climate California coverage » The DWP has spent $2.5 billion to combat the swirling clouds of powder-fine dust kicked up by fearsome wind gusts on the dry lake bed. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Odysseus is carrying several scientific payloads from NASA, including an instrument that will capture images of the dust plume kicked up by the spacecraft’s engines. Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024 But the Respect for the Game rules are still on the books, and lately arguing about technical fouls has kicked up again. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024 The venue worker handing out 21+ wristbands could have kicked up his feet and had a beer. Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kickup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1793, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1756, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kickup was in 1756

Dictionary Entries Near kickup

Cite this Entry

“Kickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kickup. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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