kickoff

play

noun kick·off \ ˈkik-ˌȯf \

Definition of kickoff

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

See kickoff defined for English-language learners

See kickoff defined for kids

Examples of kickoff in a Sentence

At his campaign kickoff, the senator gave a passionate speech about combating poverty.
His speech marked the kickoff of his campaign.

Recent Examples of kickoff from the Web

Day one begins with a kickoff event at 1:30 p.m in the South Loop, before the bus heads to Ottawa and then Peoria.

— chicago tribune staff, chicagotribune.com, "Morning Spin: Pritzker starts six-day statewide bus tour Wednesday," 30 Aug. 2017
College of Southern Maryland kickoff program Learn about student services, clubs and athletics, and get a student ID.

— Washington Post, "Community events in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties," 30 Aug. 2017
Faulk had 46 touchdown runs, caught four TD passes and returned two punts and one kickoff for scores.

— mark inabinett, AL.com, "The Countdown to Kickoff: The SEC's best No. 3," 30 Aug. 2017
At the kickoff luncheon, the Cowboys seemed ready for the season to get underway.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Cowboys-Texans preseason game canceled, visitors returning to Houston," 30 Aug. 2017
Prediction: Miami 35, Toledo 17 Friday, Sept. 29: at Duke, 7 p.m. (ESPN) UM is heading back to Durham, N.C., for the first time since its miracle, eight-lateral game-winning kickoff return for a touchdown to win it on the game’s final play.

— manny navarro, miamiherald, "Can the Hurricanes reach double-digit wins? Breaking down each and every game," 29 Aug. 2017
Freshmen: Top-100 recruit Lynn Bowden is listed second at slot receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner this week.

— jon hale, The Courier-Journal, "Stephen Johnson listed as starting quarterback on week-one depth chart," 28 Aug. 2017
Don’t be surprised if the Aggies send a couple coaches over to scout the Western New Mexico-USD game at Torero Stadium six hours before kickoff against the Aztecs.

— kirk kenney, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scouting report: UC Davis at Aztecs," 28 Aug. 2017
Indiana recruit Jordan Jusevitch answered with a 93-yard kickoff return with 7:19 left.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Jaeger Gill returns opening kickoff for TD as Lowell slips past Crown Point," 18 Aug. 2017

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

First Known Use of kickoff

1856

kickoff Synonyms

Synonyms

alpha, baseline, birth, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go (also git-go), inception, incipience, incipiency, beginning, launch, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, threshold

Antonyms

close, conclusion, end, ending, omega

Related Words

drawing board, first base, ground zero, square one; creation, founding, inauguration, initiation, institution, origination; cradle, fountain, fountainhead, germ, origin, root, seedbed, source, spring, well, wellspring; dawning, opening; advent, appearance, arrival, debut (also début), emergence; childhood, infancy, youth

Near Antonyms

cessation, closing, closure, completion, finale, finish, period, stop, termination, windup

Other Field and Goal Sports Terms

crease, lateral, lax, overthrow, playbook, post, screen, scrum, secondary, ultimate

kick off

verb

Definition of kick 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

See kick off defined for kids

Examples of kick off in a Sentence

I'll kick off the discussion on ethics with this question.
surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off

First Known Use of kick off

1857

kick off Synonyms

Synonyms

commence, embark (on or upon), enter (into or upon), fall (to), get off, begin, launch, lead off, open, start, strike (into)

Antonyms

conclude, end, finish, terminate

Related Words

create, generate, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, invent, originate; adopt, embrace, take on, take up; establish, father, found, institute, organize, pioneer, set up, spawn; get around (to), get down (to), get round (to)

Near Antonyms

cease, desist, discontinue, halt, knock off, lay off, quit, stop; close, complete; abandon, forsake, leave; abolish, demolish, destroy, exterminate, extinguish, phase out

KICKOFF Defined for English Language Learners

kickoff

play

noun

Definition of kickoff for English Language Learners

: a kick that starts play in a game (such as American football or soccer)
: the start of something

KICKOFF Defined for Kids

kickoff

play

noun kick·off \ ˈkik-ˌȯf \

Definition of kickoff for Students

:a kick that puts the ball into play (as in football or soccer)

Learn More about kickoff

See words that rhyme with kickoff Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kickoff Spanish Central: Translation of kickoff Nglish: Translation of kickoff for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of kickoff for Arabic speakers

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First Known Use of kickoff

kickoff Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Field and Goal Sports Terms

kick off

Definition of kick off

Examples of kick off in a Sentence

First Known Use of kick off

kick off Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

KICKOFF Defined for English Language Learners

kickoff

Definition of kickoff for English Language Learners

KICKOFF Defined for Kids

kickoff

Definition of kickoff for Students

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