1
as in to begin
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
I'll kick off the discussion on ethics with this question
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to die
slang
to stop living
surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in beginning
the point at which something begins
a political cycle in which an election marks not only the end of one campaign but also the kickoff for the next one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kick off
Katherine J Igoe, InStyle, 3 Apr. 2026
The big movie kicking off next summer during the first full weekend of May?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Variety will have a full review of the kickoff on Wednesday.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kick off
Verb
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in style to kick off the 2022 Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands.
—Katherine J Igoe, InStyle, 3 Apr. 2026
The big movie kicking off next summer during the first full weekend of May?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
At the kickoff of his Land of Hope & Dreams American Tour at the Target Center March 31, Springsteen and the mighty E Street Band delivered a purposeful show stocked with serious messages, but also winsome fan favorites.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Variety will have a full review of the kickoff on Wednesday.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kick off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kick off
Verb
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By the end of the year or early 2027, the agency will begin banning riders for certain periods of time following a certain number or type of violations, said Devra Selenis, RT vice president of communications and partnerships.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Mission milestones The firsts began at launch.—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators would spend weeks building their case, combing through nearly 7,000 texts exchanged over the three months before Harold died.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Cormorants that tried to clean each other with their beaks died after ingesting the viscous muck.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Without spoiling too much, Kane and Palk get to bond over their Kansas City roots in the beginning of the show.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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The geologist Charles Lyell proposed that the very ground beneath mankind’s feet had been reshaped countless times before the beginning of human history and was even now in a state of flux.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That decade started with the 1973 oil embargo by Arab countries who were members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and ended with the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which many attribute to helping end Jimmy Carter's presidency.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Milwaukee’s attention on Brown and Tatum created several wide-open inside looks for Queta, who started 5-for-6 and drew two shooting fouls during a 13-point frame.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s led to a generation of kids being treated as Big Tech guinea pigs and falling student achievement scores.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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The follow-up Saturday just fell short of also being special.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Grasso will be on hand for U-M's spring commencement May 2, when former Fab Five basketball star Jalen Rose will be the speaker.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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Los Angeles Philharmonic Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel will deliver the keynote address at USC’s 143rd commencement ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in May, university officials announced on Monday.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The mother aboard a Caribbean Airlines flight had a successful delivery, as Fox News Digital previously reported — but shortly after the unexpected arrival, a hot debate about the baby's citizenship commenced.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
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Panther is a third-generation full-size wheeled dual-arm humanoid robot, and UniX AI has commenced global deliveries.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Ben Steinberg, a 26-year-old film student at Cal State Northridge, has long been a vocal and active proponent of reopening Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome, which has been closed since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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With the onset of agriculture, trees were removed to make room for sheep and cattle, which grazed out the natural vegetation.—
Jen Murphy,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kick off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kick%20off. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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