kick in

verb

kicked in; kicking in; kicks in
Synonyms of kick innext

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
All that’s before the evening kicked in with live music, cabarets acts, and theatre shows. Jane Archer, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2025 Vega said the effects of the altitude kicked in for almost every member of the team. Will Croxton, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025 When the outage started on Wednesday, some of NIST’s on-campus time distribution systems lapsed before the backup generator kicked in, causing a four-microsecond delay to the atomic clock, Jacobson said. Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025 In fact, she was also seen wearing these kicks in New York back in May, pairing the sneakers her aforementioned Hammitt hobo bag with gunmetal grommets. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 21 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for kick in

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of kick in was in 1906

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kick in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kick%20in. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

kick in

verb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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