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
kicked off; kicking off; kicks off
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
: to mark the beginning of
kick off the campaign
Synonyms
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
Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The official kickoff to the tour, on the other hand, will be in Palm Desert at Acrisure Arena.
—Tom Coulter, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The free festival is also the kickoff to sjDANCEco’s 21st season.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
Beyond the 12 touchdowns, the 6-0 Wilson had 769 receiving yards and has some experience as a kickoff returner.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
On April 3, the HGTV personality, 38, attended Disney and National Geographic's kickoff of the ourHOME campaign at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The festival marks the official kickoff for kite-flying season and for 70 years has been part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a four-week-long celebration of spring and the District’s trademark blooms.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
The league said in February that concussions sustained during kickoffs dropped but that the number of returns had also decreased.
—Doha Madani, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
This kickoff chapter follows a young American woman named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), who uncovers plans about the Antichrist’s birth while working at a church in Rome.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Rudie Obias, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
And while the animation has upgraded to 3D and the episodes are shorter, the actor who voiced Dora for the first time 24 years ago says that the new season —kicking off Friday on Paramount+ — will be as friendly and exciting as always.
—Arturo Conde, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The company was tasked with completing the work by early September, just before the Cardinals kicked off their season.
—Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
The Democratic governor’s determination may hand lawmakers in both parties an election year victory, or kick off a new round of conflict over taxes with no clear resolution.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Rodrigo kicked off her run of shows in Palm Springs in February with Chappell Roan opening for her on the road.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
The Detroit History Podcast kicks off its sixth season with a telling of his life and impact on popular culture.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024
The incident came just days after Wallen kicked off his 2024 One Night at a Time tour.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Produced by Live Nation, the 25-city tour kicks off in Boston, making stops across the U.S. in New York, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, Houston and more before wrapping in San Francisco at The Masonic.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
Noun
Besides Lynch, the Trojans have redshirt freshman Tyler Robles, who played in two games last year, including handling kickoffs in the Holiday Bowl.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The official kickoff to the tour, on the other hand, will be in Palm Desert at Acrisure Arena.
—Tom Coulter, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The free festival is also the kickoff to sjDANCEco’s 21st season.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
Beyond the 12 touchdowns, the 6-0 Wilson had 769 receiving yards and has some experience as a kickoff returner.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
On April 3, the HGTV personality, 38, attended Disney and National Geographic's kickoff of the ourHOME campaign at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The festival marks the official kickoff for kite-flying season and for 70 years has been part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a four-week-long celebration of spring and the District’s trademark blooms.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
The league said in February that concussions sustained during kickoffs dropped but that the number of returns had also decreased.
—Doha Madani, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
This kickoff chapter follows a young American woman named Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), who uncovers plans about the Antichrist’s birth while working at a church in Rome.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
With the 2024 MotoGP racing season upon us, the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas kicks off in Texas this weekend following races in Qatar and Portugal last month.
—Rudie Obias, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
And while the animation has upgraded to 3D and the episodes are shorter, the actor who voiced Dora for the first time 24 years ago says that the new season —kicking off Friday on Paramount+ — will be as friendly and exciting as always.
—Arturo Conde, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The company was tasked with completing the work by early September, just before the Cardinals kicked off their season.
—Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
The Democratic governor’s determination may hand lawmakers in both parties an election year victory, or kick off a new round of conflict over taxes with no clear resolution.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Rodrigo kicked off her run of shows in Palm Springs in February with Chappell Roan opening for her on the road.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
The Detroit History Podcast kicks off its sixth season with a telling of his life and impact on popular culture.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024
The incident came just days after Wallen kicked off his 2024 One Night at a Time tour.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Produced by Live Nation, the 25-city tour kicks off in Boston, making stops across the U.S. in New York, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, Houston and more before wrapping in San Francisco at The Masonic.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kickoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to kickoff
Dictionary Entries Near kickoff
Cite this Entry
“Kickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kickoff. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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