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

Racing on Crait kicks up those vibrant red dust clouds, which obscure the view of other racers and can even slow them down. — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026

New colorway drops were more spread out initially, but recent months have seen the frequency kick up along with more stock being made available to purchase. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026

About 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid smashed into Earth, kicking up tsunamis and dropping hot debris that annihilated non-avian dinosaurs and many other species. — Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

With southeast winds kicking up later in the day, delivering moisture-rich air from the coast, expect cloudier skies in the evening. — Roberto Villalpando, Houston Chronicle, 27 Sep. 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