Synonyms of kick around

kick around

verb

1

as in to debate

to give serious and careful thought to

the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office

Synonyms & Similar Words

• debate
• entertain
• contemplate
• consider
• ponder
• study
• question
• eye
• chew on
• think (about or over)
• explore
• look at
• weigh
• wrestle (with)
• mull (over)
• review
• chew over
• analyze
• pore (over)
• deliberate
• meditate
• perpend
• ruminate
• cogitate
• revolve
• beat one's brains out (about)
• turn
• muse (upon)
• cudgel one's brains (about)
• reflect (on or upon)
• digest
• speculate (about)
• dwell (on or upon)
• obsess (about or over)
• fixate (on or upon)
• drink (in)
• brood (about or over)
• reminisce
• believe
• fret (about or over)
• reason
• conclude
• conceive
• absorb
• opine
• assimilate
• second-guess

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• slight
• disregard
• overlook
• reject
• dismiss
• pooh-pooh

2

as in to play

to spend time in aimless activity

I really can't do much but kick around at work until I get the rest of the submissions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• play
• fool around
• goof (around)
• fiddle (around)
• hang about
• putter (around)
• mess around
• potter (around)
• monkey (around)
• doodle
• fribble
• trifle
• hang (around or out)
• lounge
• horse around
• idle
• clown (around)
• loaf
• dawdle
• diddle (with)
• loll
• tinker
• dillydally
• dally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• set (to)
• settle (down)
• buckle (down)
• knuckle down

3

as in to kill time

to spend time doing nothing

spent the afternoon kicking around, while his wife bought out the mall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kill time
• hang (around or out)
• kick back
• hack (around)
• veg out
• lazy
• goof (off)
• hang about
• lounge
• bum
• rest
• play
• relax
• chill
• idle
• stroll
• loaf
• footle
• laze
• poke
• dawdle
• drone
• twiddle one's thumbs
• dillydally
• fiddle (around)
• muck
• mess
• putter (around)
• loll
• potter (around)
• estivate
• linger
• dally
• fool
• monkey
• trifle
• piddle
• hibernate
• doze
• loiter
• saunter
• lag
• amble
• swan
• mosey
• tarry
• goldbrick
• malinger
• truant
• furlough

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• work
• slave
• labor
• plow
• plug
• grind
• toil
• hustle
• sweat
• apply
• buckle (down)
• plod
• put out
• hump
• grub
• peg
• travail
• exert
• drudge
• moil

4

as in to roam

to move about from place to place aimlessly

after spending a year in Europe kicking around, the backpacker was ready to return home

Synonyms & Similar Words

• roam
• wander
• drift
• knock (about)
• stroll
• float
• cruise
• range
• meander
• rove
• traipse
• gad (about)
• bat
• mill (about or around)
• ramble
• saunter
• gallivant
• amble
• mooch
• maunder
• dawdle
• stray
• mope
• tramp
• straggle
• vagabond
• hobo

5

as in to abuse

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

children who were raised by an alcoholic father who regularly kicked them around

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abuse
• take apart
• bully
• mess over
• torture
• misuse
• mistreat
• injure
• violate
• manhandle
• hurt
• oppress
• brutalize
• maltreat
• work (over)
• ill-use
• mishandle
• ill-treat
• persecute
• outrage
• harass
• beat (up)
• torment
• harm
• wrong
• molest
• rough (up)
• victimize
• burn
• mess (up)
• sandbag

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• care (for)
• foster
• cherish
• nurture
• baby
• cater (to)
• favor
• indulge
• gratify
• spoil
• humor
• pamper
• coddle
• mollycoddle

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of kick around

All told, it’s been a pretty spectacular and drama-free rollout for an idea that had been kicking around Hollywood for over 15 years. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 18 June 2026

Husband and wife duo Cristina Marzolf and Matthew Marzolf, both 25, had been kicking around the concept of Press’d Cafe and Lounge, a family-friendly tropical escape that sells smoothies, juices and food for years. — Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026

Calgary Flames forward Ryan Strome, a veteran of 916 games, doesn’t kick around with his teammates. — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 8 June 2026

Fans draped themselves in Haitian flags and danced to upbeat compas music while children kicked around soccer balls at the small meet-and-greet. — CBS News, 30 May 2026