1
as in considering
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 playing
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 hanging (around or out)
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 wandering
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 abusing
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 kicking around
Odenkirk and Kolstad have begun kicking around ideas for extending the character into an ongoing franchise.
—
Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Although the likes of the Go Go’s and the Cars are present at times, the soundtrack as a whole seems too staid to provide a backdrop for ’80s kids kicking around in the heyday of punk.
—Gina Friedlande, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Both tracks — which had been kicking around since the Chinese Democracy sessions and were demoed even earlier — were finally released in December 2025 to coincide with GNR’s 2026 tour announcement.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
Like Prince William and Kate Middleton often do on sportier engagements, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed off their soccer skills, kicking around a ball on Wednesday.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
The group didn’t know much at all about golf course development, turning to Google and ChatGPT to figure out the footprint of an average golf course, and kicking around ideas amongst themselves about who to call about design and architecture.
—Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Near where Cuin and Thiane were kicking around, Berkeley resident Marcelio Ramos banged his drum in preparation for the first draw.
—Mathew Miranda
december 5, Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 2025
In order to reach the mark that sports media watchers have been kicking around since the CBS Thanksgiving Day matchup was announced in May, the audience for the marquee holiday slot would have to be improve on the NFL’s all-time record by a whopping 19%.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Nov. 2025
In one form or another, the idea has been kicking around for decades, but Stardust has taken it a major—some might say terrifying—step forward.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Although the likes of the Go Go’s and the Cars are present at times, the soundtrack as a whole seems too staid to provide a backdrop for ’80s kids kicking around in the heyday of punk.
—Gina Friedlande, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Both tracks — which had been kicking around since the Chinese Democracy sessions and were demoed even earlier — were finally released in December 2025 to coincide with GNR’s 2026 tour announcement.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
Like Prince William and Kate Middleton often do on sportier engagements, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed off their soccer skills, kicking around a ball on Wednesday.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
The group didn’t know much at all about golf course development, turning to Google and ChatGPT to figure out the footprint of an average golf course, and kicking around ideas amongst themselves about who to call about design and architecture.
—Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Near where Cuin and Thiane were kicking around, Berkeley resident Marcelio Ramos banged his drum in preparation for the first draw.
—Mathew Miranda
december 5, Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 2025
In order to reach the mark that sports media watchers have been kicking around since the CBS Thanksgiving Day matchup was announced in May, the audience for the marquee holiday slot would have to be improve on the NFL’s all-time record by a whopping 19%.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Nov. 2025
In one form or another, the idea has been kicking around for decades, but Stardust has taken it a major—some might say terrifying—step forward.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicking around
Verb
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The court is considering an appeal of a lower-court judge’s ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated procedural requirements.—
Eric Tucker,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
California lawmakers are considering a bill that would ensure insurance companies cover the cost of scalp cooling technology for cancer patients.—
Sooji Nam,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!—
Mark Cooper,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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Paul and Barlow spent several minutes in the second half playing in the frontcourt, giving Nurse options to switch seamlessly while playing small when other Sixers bigs dealt with foul trouble.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
Verb
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In other words, the object that reshaped the moon may have been a leftover planetary building block wandering inward from the outer rocky solar system during the chaotic era of planet formation.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
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For a glimpse of wildlife, ogle the bison wandering on the Wildlife Loop.—
Jess Hoffert,
Midwest Living,
9 May 2026
Verb
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There have been several cases of clergy abusing children in Sri Lanka, but the latest arrest involves the most senior monk to be accused of such a crime.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
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According to the frenetic video, this means abusing the office photocopier and covering yourself in Post-its.—
Jon O'Brien,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
Verb
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But even among the anchors that aren’t contemplating leaving TV for YouTube, the attraction of digital media is too irresistible to ignore.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
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Or, put another way, savers contemplating a $15,000 deposit into this account now can expect to earn a little more than $1 per week on their funds over the next year.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In a post on its website, the Humane Society said free-roaming rabbits that are used to living outdoors don’t often adapt well to being pets.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
11 May 2026
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Villagers had allegedly complained that packs of stray dogs were often roaming the area before the incident occurred, per the outlet.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The sequence left us pondering our pet cats and, for good measure, our worst selves.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
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As Jeff Sanders wrote (here) on Thursday, the Padres are pondering a lot of different ways to deal with their starting pitching situation in the coming weeks.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kicking around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicking%20around. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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