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

Leaf blowers can also kick up other potentially harmful substances in your yard, like pollen, feces, and mold. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 5 Nov. 2026

The final sprint to Tuesday's midterm elections has kicked up a flurry of headlines about attack ads slung by candidates and verbal jabs thrown by current and former occupants of the White House. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Learning To Step Back A CEO will always make some of the biggest decisions, but a strong team can use consensus to make most major decisions so that fewer of them need to be kicked up to the CEO. — Steve Murphy, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Part advent calendar, part Thanksgiving leftover solution, the 12 Meals of Leftovers features a variety of different hot sauces that will kick up the heat on anything from roast turkey to mashed potatoes. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 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