kickoff

1 of 2

noun

kick·​off ˈkik-ˌȯf 

1

: a kick that puts the ball into play in a football or soccer game

the opening kickoff

2

: the start of something : commencement

the campaign kickoff

kick off

2 of 2

verb

kicked off; kicking off; kicks off

intransitive verb

1

: to start or resume play in football by a placekick

2

a

: to initiate proceedings

b

: to start out : begin

the movie kicks off with a bank robbery

3

slang : die

transitive verb

: to mark the beginning of

kick off the campaign

Synonyms

Noun

• alpha
• baseline
• beginning
• birth
• commencement
• dawn
• day one
• genesis
• get-go
• git-go
• inception
• incipience
• incipiency
• launch
• morning
• nascence
• nascency
• onset
• outset
• start
• threshold

Verb

• begin
• commence
• embark (on or upon)
• enter (into or upon)
• fall (to)
• get off
• launch
• lead off
• open
• start
• strike (into)

Examples of kickoff in a Sentence

Noun

At his campaign kickoff, the senator gave a passionate speech about combating poverty.

His speech marked the kickoff of his campaign.

Verb

I'll kick off the discussion on ethics with this question.

surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Miller still mounts a film more confidently than just about anyone on the planet, and his kickoff, a 10-minute, near-wordless chase, is the definition of getting off on the good foot. —Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024

Those are the 1 p.m. kickoffs inside Hard Rock Stadium, where the opponents annually acknowledge — or complain — that South Florida’s heat and humidity gives the Dolphins an unfair home-field advantage. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 15 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1857, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

kickoff

1 of 2 noun

kick·​off ˈkik-ˌȯf 

: a kick that puts the ball into play (as in soccer or football)

kick off

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)kik-ˈȯf

1

: to make a kickoff

2

: begin sense 1