1
as in contemplated
to give serious and careful thought to
the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in played
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hacked (around)
to spend time doing nothing
spent the afternoon kicking around, while his wife bought out the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in roamed
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
5
as in abused
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
children who were raised by an alcoholic father who regularly kicked them around
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 around
One of the things that have been kicked around is a one-time 5% tax on billionaires.
—
Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026
As the college football season winds down, Penn State is still operating with an interim head coach after the dismissal of James Franklin, and Roethlisberger kicked around the idea of Tomlin heading to Happy Valley to take over that program.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
The club had kicked around the idea of Suárez and Nola sharing an outing, but it was made official on Monday night after a gut-wrenching Game 2 loss.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Other ideas kicked around over the years have been subsidized housing or even returning it to its history of entertainment, as a high-end theater and performing arts academy.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
The idea of an independent misconduct authority has been kicked around by the industry since the Noel Clarke scandal four years ago, but its existence has become more pressing amid a string of power abuse crises involving the likes of MasterChef presenter Wallace and ITV chef Gino D’Acampo.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Peralta leaders had kicked around the idea for years but avoided discussing it in concrete terms, with bureaucratic tangles often getting in the way.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2025
Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026
As the college football season winds down, Penn State is still operating with an interim head coach after the dismissal of James Franklin, and Roethlisberger kicked around the idea of Tomlin heading to Happy Valley to take over that program.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
The club had kicked around the idea of Suárez and Nola sharing an outing, but it was made official on Monday night after a gut-wrenching Game 2 loss.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Other ideas kicked around over the years have been subsidized housing or even returning it to its history of entertainment, as a high-end theater and performing arts academy.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
The idea of an independent misconduct authority has been kicked around by the industry since the Noel Clarke scandal four years ago, but its existence has become more pressing amid a string of power abuse crises involving the likes of MasterChef presenter Wallace and ITV chef Gino D’Acampo.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Peralta leaders had kicked around the idea for years but avoided discussing it in concrete terms, with bureaucratic tangles often getting in the way.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicked around
Verb
-
Tsitsipas, who contemplated a future without tennis during his back issues last year, said during a news conference ahead of the tournament.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The area’s natural beauty was such that Merrick contemplated building another Biltmore-sized hotel along the coast.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Goldin originally conceived of it as a slideshow timed to songs by The Velvet Underground and Dionne Warwick, played in nightclubs around New York, and eventually, in the Whitney Biennial in 1985.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The 33-year old native of the Dominican Republic has played his entire 13-year, big league career in Cleveland.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With their home campus inaccessible, students roamed to various athletic facilities throughout town for practice and games.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
On a recent afternoon, the pair of mutes roamed the tiered backyard.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said Kayode Agbolade Ogunba allegedly abused patients at a local care home.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Others abused the hospitality, & winded up having to actually be evicted from the property.—
Cheyenne Derksen,
Oklahoman,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sette is considered an expert on human T cells, the immune cells that adapt to recognize and fight infections from viruses, bacteria, parasites and other pathogens.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
-
It is widely considered one of the best games in the series.—
George Yang,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Even if Senate Republicans conceded to breaking up the funding package, the bills would be kicked back to the House of Representatives, which is on a weeklong recess.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Gatlin paid an Atlanta audiovisual contractor $2 million, who then kicked back $1 million to her, according to court records.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Jacob Roggeveen, a lawyer turned explorer, had wandered about the Pacific with three ships and found nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Those who perished include 90-year-old Doreen Ellis, a Crown Heights resident with dementia who wandered out of her apartment into the frigid air Sunday night.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Despite their efforts to reunite her with her siblings on the lake, she was rejected and bullied, and eventually taken in by Marshall and his wife, PJ.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Taylor’s reinvention story has always been driven by a belief in her artistry and a refusal to be bullied or controlled by those with legal paper rights to her catalogue but no rights to her talent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kicked around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicked%20around. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
