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

Punk For seven brilliant years in the nineties, the Washington punk-rock band Bikini Kill kicked up a ruckus as pioneers of the riot-grrrl movement. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Workers at a construction site nearby continued to operate machinery and kick up dust as police called out to the suspect. — Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026

Along the Southern California coast, dangerous surf conditions kicked up by the remnants of Hurricane Marie were expected to stick around for several days. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

More than 40 years after Madonna lost her shoe and kicked up her skirt at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards, the Queen of Pop is still the Queen of the VMAs. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 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