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
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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
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Recent Examples of kicked off
The high pressure system kicked off Thursday, setting daily temperature records in Ventura County and tying a daily heat record of 92 degrees in Long Beach.
—
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Clairo kicked off the week with an Instagram photo dump that featured pictures from what looks to be like studio sessions, indicating that the singer may be getting ready to drop her fourth album.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Opening Day for Ramona Pony Baseball’s 47th year kicked off one of the league’s biggest seasons on Saturday with 462 players ready to take the diamond.
—Stephanie Ogilvie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Spelling had already reached the full height of her small-screen fame playing Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210, which kicked off in 1990.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
The discoveries kicked off an investigation that eventually led to a cross-state manhunt.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 5 Mar. 2026
High Potential, created by Drew Goddard based on the French series HPI, kicked off 2026 in a new timeslot, airing an hour earlier at 9pm.
—Peter White, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
The Spaniard kicked off his title campaign on the street course a year ago with the win, the first of eight victories that included the Indianapolis 500 and a third consecutive IndyCar title.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
What really infuriates me about that moment, however, is that Rod’s comment was kicked off by Salley talking about her connection with Austen.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Clairo kicked off the week with an Instagram photo dump that featured pictures from what looks to be like studio sessions, indicating that the singer may be getting ready to drop her fourth album.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Opening Day for Ramona Pony Baseball’s 47th year kicked off one of the league’s biggest seasons on Saturday with 462 players ready to take the diamond.
—Stephanie Ogilvie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Spelling had already reached the full height of her small-screen fame playing Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210, which kicked off in 1990.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
The discoveries kicked off an investigation that eventually led to a cross-state manhunt.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 5 Mar. 2026
High Potential, created by Drew Goddard based on the French series HPI, kicked off 2026 in a new timeslot, airing an hour earlier at 9pm.
—Peter White, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
The Spaniard kicked off his title campaign on the street course a year ago with the win, the first of eight victories that included the Indianapolis 500 and a third consecutive IndyCar title.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
What really infuriates me about that moment, however, is that Rod’s comment was kicked off by Salley talking about her connection with Austen.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicked off
Verb
-
That marked the first such departure order issued by Washington in Saudi Arabia since the war began.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
9 Mar. 2026
-
His win in Istanbul in 2019 represented a crushing blow to Erdogan, whose own political ascent began as the city’s mayor.—
Beril Akman,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the ensuing melee, she was hit in the head with a metal water bottle — causing injuries so severe that she was hospitalized, and later died.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Marland Jeffries died in 2023 at the age of 85.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Spring football has commenced and reporters got a 35-minute window to watch Coleman and a host of new Longhorns who are out to make sure last season’s omission from the College Football Playoff was a one-off and not the start of a bad-for-business trend on the Forty.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Lake Zurich Mayor Tom Poynton was part of the annual purple ribbon cutting on the beach before plunging commenced.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In Greek tragedies, the hero is felled by a fatal flaw.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Apartment buildings were felled by air strikes, and smoke billowed from the blasts; the buzz of Israeli drones filled the air.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Oil prices have surged above $100 a barrel after more major Middle East countries started reducing production, as storage fills up due to the closure of Hormuz.—
Louise Moon,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The shows, once Nick and I started going to them that fall, were something different entirely.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The incredibly protective Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump LLP founding partner passed away in 2021 — not long before this Jackson estate civil war flared up.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In 2021, Jones received word that Angelite had unexpectedly passed away.—
Diya Chacko,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Impala Platinum has opened formal talks with Zimbabwe’s central bank and lined up meetings with both the South African and Zimbabwean governments to press for clarity on Harare’s export-earnings policy, its CEO told Semafor, escalating a commercial cash-flow dispute into bilateral negotiations.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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The 28-year-old California native faces growing as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have opened a commanding gap atop the tennis world.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lamar Odom has reportedly checked out of rehab after completing a 30-day program following his DUI arrest earlier this year.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Paramedics checked out three people, but none went to the hospital.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kicked off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicked%20off. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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