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
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Recent Examples of kicked around
The bestselling novelist specializes in women who have been kicked around by life.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
One of the ideas that has been kicked around is putting the playoff event in larger cities and more historic venues.
—Bob Buttitta, Oc Register, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
One of the ideas that has been kicked around is putting the playoff event in larger cities and more historic venues.
—Bob Buttitta, Oc Register, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicked around
Verb
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In the fall, the board contemplated using money from its Grand Victoria Riverboat Fund to pay for a similar commemorative garden project.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The other professional path that Godoy contemplated would’ve still brought him back to acting.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the Heat was outscored 9-0 when Ware and Adebayo played alongside each other in the first half on Saturday.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
-
People who were unexpectedly called to help with recovery operations, like McQueeney, played a key role in capturing the aftermath.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit, filed March 9 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims the plan for eradicating the deer, which have roamed the island for 100 years, was wrongfully approved by the state and needs an environmental review.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
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Three pups born in a Dallas lab look like creatures that roamed the Earth more than 10,000 years ago.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In addition to accusations Chávez abused minors and women, his longtime ally Dolores Huerta accused Chávez of assaulting her, too.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The House will vote on a bill requiring Congress to pass a balanced budget and another allowing for the deportation of immigrants found to have abused public assistance programs.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tisza is not particularly progressive, and its platform is generally considered center-right, eschewing cultural issues for a campaign laser-targeted on corruption in government.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
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The drink contained nearly five times what is considered a deadly amount of the opioid, court filings showed.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Studies have shown how lead particles that fell to the ground were kicked back up into the air again where people could inhale them, along with other contaminants.—
Armin Sorooshian,
The Conversation,
16 Mar. 2026
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Cher’s adult son Elijah Blue Allman busted into a New Hampshire home over the weekend, and then kicked back on the couch with a cigarette, police said.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gleicher, an infertility specialist now based in New York, and his young family were eating dinner at Bice when his daughter Anja wandered away from their table.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
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His resume also includes finding a patient with dementia who wandered away from a care facility and tracking down a bank robbery suspect.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Zags aren’t as long overall, but Vokietaitis will have his hands full with 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward Ike Graham, who bullied his way to 19 points and eight rebounds against Kennesaw.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
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Brown cut past Porzingis for a baseline dunk, bullied through backup big man Quinten Post for a layup and victimized Brandin Podziemski on multiple possessions.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kicked around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicked%20around. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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