kicker

noun

kick·er | \ ˈki-kər

Definition of kicker

1 : one that kicks or kicks something

2 : an unexpected and surprising remark, revelation, or set of circumstances

Examples of kicker in a Sentence

The real kicker came when the chairman announced that he was quitting.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the happy glow of the victory Sunday night, Carroll basically laughed off a question about the health of kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who fell hard to the turf when he was roughed on a field-goal attempt in the second quarter. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks ‘are working’ to keep Frank Clark, and more takeaways from Pete Carroll," 24 Dec. 2018 But here’s the kicker: An astoundingly small number of people produce the majority of the content. — Alvin Chang, Vox, "We analyzed every QAnon post on Reddit. Here’s who QAnon supporters actually are.," 8 Aug. 2018 Foles was also a high school teammate of Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. — David Humphrey, star-telegram, "Here’s what you need to know about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles," 2 Feb. 2018 Progressives will protest that Mr. Trump and his followers have been violent gougers, kickers and thugs all along, and there’s truth in that. — Lance Morrow, WSJ, "We’ve Grown Accustomed to Trump," 17 Oct. 2018 And here’s the kicker: West joined Adidas in late 2013—after the first Boost release—and didn’t issue his own sneaker until early 2015. — Jake Woolf, GQ, "Adidas Boost: the Sneaker Technology that Changed a Company's Fortunes," 1 Feb. 2018 Through seven weeks, the Chargers have used two punters and two kickers. — Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times, "Five things to know about the Seahawks’ next opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers," 29 Oct. 2018 Never had a punter and kicker from the same school been selected during the NFL draft since the league reduced the number of rounds to seven in 1994. — Edgar Thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Gators' specialists Johnny Townsend, Eddy Piñeiro end up with Oakland Raiders," 28 Apr. 2018 Especially as a punter and kicker, that's not good. — Mark Heim, AL.com, "Watch as UCF appears awfully proud of its national championship rings," 23 Apr. 2018

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

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Last Updated

19 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for kicker

The first known use of kicker was circa 1580

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More Definitions for kicker

kicker

noun

Financial Definition of kicker

What It Is

In the finance world, a kicker is a feature that makes a security more attractive.

How It Works

Often, kickers are equity kickers, which are the right but not the obligation to buy shares of the issuer of a bond. These equity kickers come with the bond, making them more saleable to investors.

Sometimes, kickers aren't useful. For instance, they might offer the bondholder the right to buy shares at $8 a share, which only comes in handy if the shares are trading above $8. In those cases, the bond issuer might increase the coupon rate instead.

Why It Matters

Kickers get deals done. They make securities more saleable, and they help companies raise the capital they need to raise to grow. For investors, kickers can raise the gains or profits they might earn on a security.

Source: Investing Answers

kicker

noun