kick in

verb

Definition of kick in

transitive verb

: contribute

intransitive verb

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about kick in

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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

On Syria, the two leaders will try to develop a joint response to kick in if Assad persists in using chemical weapons. — Karen Deyoung, chicagotribune.com, "As Macron arrives to meet Trump, fate of Iran nuclear deal is front and center," 22 Apr. 2018 Back to James now, who kicked in 12 boards and five assists. — Joe Vardon, cleveland.com, "LeBron James ferocious in Cavaliers' 100-97 win over Pacers in Game 2," 19 Apr. 2018 Gay is a firm advocate for training teachers and school staff to handle a variety of emergencies so if crisis strikes, muscle memory kicks in. — Kantele Franko, Time, "A Fire Alarm Sounds, Then Gunfire Erupts: Should You Stay or Flee?," 17 Feb. 2018 But according to Recode's Teddy Schleifer, that requirement doesn't kick in for 90 days after signing, giving Musk a few more weeks of unfettered tweeting. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Elon Musk isn’t on his Twitter leash yet, so he’s taunting the SEC," 4 Oct. 2018 The changes Trump signed into law last year doubled the exemption so the tax won't kick in for estates worth less than nearly $11 million. — Maureen Groppe, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana agribusinessman Kip Tom tapped by Trump for food ambassador job," 11 July 2018 The contract would not kick in until the 2019-2020 season. — Scott Bordow, azcentral, "Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns to talk contract extension Tuesday," 1 July 2018 But the real therapy doesn't kick in until the patient, a divorced, garden-variety neurotic named Laura (played with an appealing mix of spunk and brokenness by Vera Farmiga ), embarks on that staple of Hollywood renewal: the road trip. — Michael O'sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "'Boundaries' review: A family road trip to reconciliation and maybe, understanding," 28 June 2018 Second, winds need to be out of the west-southwest with not much of a southerly component — but strong enough so that is sea breeze doesn’t kick in during the afternoon. — Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Will we hit 100 degrees next week? It’s possible," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kick in.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.