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 Rams, who arrived in Melbourne just 28 hours before kickoff (compared to the 49ers’ arrival a week in advance), led 7-3 early in the second quarter but stalled from there. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

The president capped off the event, which competed with the NFL regular season kickoff on television, by attacking Democrats while rallying supporters in the Lone Star State in a bid to boost GOP enthusiasm across the country. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

The Seattle Seahawks have gotten an offseason full of congratulations, their Super Bowl rings and now will get the chance to see the banner raised before kicking off this season with hopes of repeating. — Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026

The 2026 regular season is finally upon us, kicking off Wednesday with a Super Bowl rematch. — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 9 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