kickoff

1 of 2

noun

kick·​off ˈkik-ˌȯf 

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

kick off

2 of 2

verb

kicked off; kicking off; kicks off

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

: to mark the beginning of

kick off the campaign

Synonyms of kickoff

Noun

• beginning
• start
• commencement
• onset
• inception
• launch

Verb

• begin
• start
• commence
• fall (to)
• set about
• get off
• strike (into)
• get going
• open
• found

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

Noun

The season kickoff marked the first time since 1997 that the house was present as the official Champagne of the motorsports championship. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

He was rolled up while playing on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter. — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

Filming ended almost immediately, cutting the season short to only five episodes, and eventually filming resumed to kick off a new season. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

He was barred that following morning from accessing the facility, and according to the filing, informed by USC that he’d been kicked off the team, without any prior investigation. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1857, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for kickoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff
• runoff

Kids 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

: begin sense 1