kickup

1 of 2

noun

kick·​up ˈkik-ˌəp 

: 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

Synonyms of kickup

Noun

• altercation
• dispute
• quarrel
• controversy
• fight
• disagreement
• argument
• row
• misunderstanding
• battle royal
• brawl
• bicker

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

Verb

Weapon system autonomously detects and classifies moving targets The company revealed that the weapon system autonomously detects and classifies moving targets in poor visibility situations caused by darkness, bad weather, smoke or dust kicked up by helicopters. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 22 Feb. 2026

Coleslaw kicked up with everything from blue cheese and jalapeño to cranberries and walnuts. —Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026

Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026

These Great Plains regions storms are typical for this time of year when the wind really kicks up, Crosby said. —Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1793, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1756, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for kickup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup