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

Biddy covered most of the journey on foot—the equivalent of about six million steps—herding animals at the rear of her owner’s wagon company and choking her way through a moving screen of dust kicked up by the migrant caravan. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026

Glamour writ large was the takeaway from Anthony Vaccarello’s final collection for Saint Laurent, while showgirls’ feathers and strass kicked up excitement at Erdem and Matières Fécales. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026

The only noticeable movement was dust kicked up by Israel’s military. — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

The upper end of that range represents the largest budget Iñárritu has ever been given to play with — and the $8 million domestic and $20 million global sums that Digger kicked up represent the largest shortfall of his career, per Rentrak. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 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