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

Hafley suggested Monday that the Dolphins hoped to kick the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs in the Week 5 loss to Cincinnati. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

New England opened the third quarter with a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, then BenJarvus Green-Ellis had a 12-yard touchdown run a little over 2 minutes later. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Verb

The shift was visible across the Spring/Summer 2027 season, which saw a host of shows and presentations take place from October 8 to 16, with homegrown label Hemu and its Silk Road collection kicking off the week. — Yiling Pan, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

The band’s tour was set to kick off on October 29 in Baltimore. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 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