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
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
-
According to the governor’s office, the original design of the project contemplated the demolition of the synagogue on the One Brooklyn Health System campus, but following intervention from Hochul, the synagogue’s demolition has been removed from the plans for affordable housing.—
Jackie Hajdenberg,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
-
One of the scenarios being contemplated is that only two-thirds or a majority of that number would need to turn out.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Trojans add two to special teams Long snapper Dylan Black and punter Lachlan Carrigan, both of whom played for Memphis last season, each committed to USC out of the transfer portal, rounding out the Trojans’ special teams unit.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Werner has 24 goals in 57 games for the German national team and played in the 2018 World Cup.—
Mercury News,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
More than 200 years ago, bison roamed freely across Illinois, but as the industrial revolution reshaped the landscape, the bison disappeared.—
Marissa Perlman,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
And guests snorkel along reefs coated with purple sea fans, roamed by schools of teal parrotfish, eagle rays, and angelfish.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The defendants' sentences were reduced because they were abused by the victims, in accordance with the New York Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, legislation that Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney criticized.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Election administrators around the country who have been abused and harassed for the past six years are keeping a wary eye on the resurgence of the conspiracy theories.—
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Before the Refugio oil spill, the pipelines under All Plains were considered intrastate because the previous owner filed tariffs with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Harbaugh is considered by many to be the top candidate for multiple teams following his 18-year tenure leading the Ravens.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Conley drove, kicked back to Edwards, who hit Reid in the corner.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett, who wandered the Amazon for 22 years at the beginning of the 20th century before vanishing without a trace, wrote that the breath of the anaconda stupefied its prey.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
-
That morning, in a new suburb of Glendale, three-year-old Kelly Keen wandered, unattended, out of her house and into the driveway.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For the second game running, Omari Hutchinson was too easily bullied off the ball in a dangerous area.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
By the time Zoe turns up dead, stabbed to death in her bathtub, Anna begins to put the pieces together that Lexi, her work nemesis, is actually Catherine—the girl her friends had bullied at school.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kicked around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicked%20around. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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