KICKING AROUND Synonyms: 209 Similar and Opposite Words

kicking around

verb

present participle of kick around

as in considering

to give serious and careful thought to the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office

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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

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as in hanging (around or out)

to spend time doing nothing spent the afternoon kicking around, while his wife bought out the mall

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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

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as in abusing

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon children who were raised by an alcoholic father who regularly kicked them around

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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 kicking around There are a few great Star Wars arcade games still kicking around, but this one is my personal favorite. —

Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 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 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

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 14 states are considering legislation that would pause or ban new data centers.

— Annie Palmer, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Although some of these drones get through, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to homes and infrastructure, analysts at RUSI and CSIS say that Ukraine’s air defenses are doing remarkably well considering the sheer size of Russia’s attacks.

— Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026