1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

kicked off

verb

past tense of kick off
1
as in began
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 died
slang to stop living surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kicked off Critics of his comments include pop star Pink and pro-Israel groups that circulated petitions to have Macklemore kicked off the bill. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 In October 2023, a few months after the band kicked off the first leg of the M72 Tour, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone about how the new material was transforming on the stage. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026 The Buffalo Bills kicked off the Joe Brady era with a rousing win over the Houston Texans, but the defense remains the biggest question mark as Thursday’s game against the Detroit Lions looms on a short week. — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The Dreamforce 2026 conference kicked off in San Francisco Tuesday, with about 43,000 people expected to attend the annual AI and enterprise tech conference hosted by Salesforce. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 Autry continues the global expansion kicked off when Style Capital acquired a majority stake in 2024, and now the private equity fund has appointed a new chief executive officer at the Italian footwear brand. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026 The View kicked off Season 30 on Tuesday following a month-long hiatus. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 But the Kansas City Irish Fest (began in 2003), SantaCaliGon Days (dates to 1940) and the ongoing Kansas City Renaissance Festival (50th season) merely kicked off a month packed with festivals that area folks have celebrated for decades. — Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026 The surprise drop kicked off a 60-day countdown for the reissue. — Caché McClay, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicked off
  1. began
  2. died
  3. commenced
  4. fell
  5. started
  6. passed away
  7. opened
  8. checked out
Verb
  • Most of us who do philosophy began by hoping to find definitions too.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Crews began working Monday on Pocket Road near East Shore Drive to replace a sewer manhole and about 50 feet of a sewer main and repave the intersection, according to the project’s webpage.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of began
Verb
  • On September 9, the Prince of Wales will represent the British royal family at the funeral of King Harald V of Norway, who died at 89 years old on August 28.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Dotson was taken to a hospital and died about nine hours after he was shot.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of died
Verb
  • Then the Padres commenced giving him a big cushion, scoring two runs in the second inning and batting around and scoring five times in the second.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
  • As the wreckage of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers smoldered, the United States commenced military operations in Afghanistan.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of commenced
Verb
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Vines are pulled away from fences, and sometimes trees are even felled.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • Mayfield, who injured his left shoulder in late November against the Los Angeles Rams, started all 17 games last year for the third season in a row and passed for 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Several of these improvements started with the haul the Cowboys got in the Parsons trade last summer, which has afforded Dallas opportunities to address the gaping holes on this team.
    — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of started
Verb
  • The Grammy-winning musician passed away due to organ failure, his mother stated.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Lizárraga has carried on the legacy of his father, who passed away just as the band was arriving in Europe for the first time three decades ago.
    — Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of passed away
Verb
  • So So Fed opened for Sunday dinner — and nobody had assembled the siu mai dumplings.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Innovative methodologies, including demography and quantitative analysis, folklore, material culture, oral history, and family reconstitution opened new windows into the past.
    — Drew Gilpin Faust, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of opened
Verb
  • Taurus April 20 – May 20 Your mind may be willing to keep going long after the rest of you has checked out.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Lamb checked out of the room the next day, and a housekeeper found three large trash bags filled with bloody towels and linens that were also soiled with human waste, according to the report.
    — David Goodhue August 21, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of checked out

Browse Nearby Words

kicked in
kicked off
kicked out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kicked off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicked%20off. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All