kicker

noun

Definition of kickernext
1
as in surprise

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in quibbler

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 kicker The longer-term kicker for investors is its services. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 22 June 2026 Folk, the Falcons’ 41-year-old kicker, fired his right leg through the ball, which went end-over-end through the uprights and sent his teammates — offensive and defensive — into an arm-lifting, voice-raising celebration. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 17 June 2026 Leave it to the kicker to have a take on the FIFA World Cup. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026 Dealing with Children If the chronic seat kicker happens to be a child, a flight attendant can easily step in without playing the role of babysitter. — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for kicker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicker
  1. surprise
  2. nitpicker
  3. kick
  4. crock
  5. revelation
  6. objector
  7. disclosure
  8. pessimist
Noun
  • Atlanta, to no one’s surprise, remains entrenched in the mix of rotating CFP sites.
    — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 10 July 2026
  • His predecessor, Joe Biden, made a surprise visit to the country in 2023 as president, nearly a year after the conflict with Russia began.
    — Jamie Gray, NBC news, 9 July 2026
Definition of surprise
Noun
  • Alas, nitpickers can point to some moves in which Atlanta went backward.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 May 2026
  • Maybe that’s why, compared with some other kinds of nitpickers, pop critics can seem especially extraneous.
    — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Definition of nitpicker
Noun
  • The hottest game had ended early Saturday evening and after more than 90 minutes of elbows, shoves and kicks to the shin, the players on France and Paraguay were still hot.
    — Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 5 July 2026
  • White sneakers tend to lead the trends come spring and summer, but Styles is proof that a black pair of comfy kicks is just as wearable—with a slightly more edgy feel.
    — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 5 July 2026
Definition of kick
Noun
  • This crock has plenty of room to keep every daily utensil conveniently on the counter, and it’s finished with a cork mat on the bottom to stay steady and protect your counters.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 6 June 2026
  • Other appliances like toaster ovens, air fryers, and crock pots also pose a safety risk (especially if they’re not cleaned properly after use).
    — Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2026
Definition of crock
Noun
  • Rob-Will is already lying in a pool of blood before that revelation.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • In the Gospel According to Luke, Jesus compares the days of Lot before the judgment of Sodom—a calm before the storm—to the coming revelation of the Son of Man, a title that Jesus calls himself.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of revelation
Noun
  • The process involves a series of hearings in which election judges review signatures one-by-one, and typically requires the objector and the candidate to hire an attorney.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026
  • After a two-year National Service stint as a hospital orderly (thanks to his own conscientious-objector status), Hockney landed at the Royal College of Art, in London, in the fall of 1959.
    — Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
Definition of objector
Noun
  • Trump listed the verdict as a liability in his 2025 financial disclosure report released last month.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 8 July 2026
  • Early on, pressure for more frequent disclosure came not from government regulators, who barely existed before 1934, but from investors.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of disclosure
Noun
  • However, that’s looking at it from the pessimist’s point of view.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Utah seems to have found the midpoint between the optimist’s opinion of Trocheck and the pessimist’s and paid accordingly.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of pessimist

Browse Nearby Words

kicked upstairs
kicker
kickers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kicker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicker. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on kicker

Nglish: Translation of kicker for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kicker

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All