Synonyms of kicking around

kicking around

verb

present participle of kick around

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

• considering
• contemplating
• pondering
• debating
• entertaining
• studying
• looking at
• thinking (about or over)
• questioning
• chewing on
• wrestling (with)
• mulling (over)
• weighing
• poring (over)
• eyeing
• exploring
• chewing over
• reviewing
• analyzing
• reflecting (on or upon)
• beating one's brains out (about)
• perpending
• deliberating
• cudgeling one's brains (about)
• ruminating
• meditating
• revolving
• cogitating
• musing (upon)
• turning
• dwelling (on or upon)
• fixating (on or upon)
• speculating (about)
• brooding (about or over)
• obsessing (about or over)
• fretting (about or over)
• drinking (in)
• reasoning
• digesting
• reminiscing
• believing
• concluding
• absorbing
• opining
• conceiving
• assimilating
• second-guessing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• overlooking
• disregarding
• rejecting
• dismissing
• slighting
• pooh-poohing

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

• playing
• fiddling (around)
• fooling around
• puttering (around)
• goofing (around)
• pottering (around)
• messing around
• hanging about
• monkeying (around)
• hanging (around or out)
• fribbling
• doodling
• trifling
• horsing around
• clowning (around)
• lounging
• idling
• loafing
• diddling (with)
• dawdling
• lolling
• tinkering
• dallying
• dillydallying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• setting (to)
• settling (down)
• buckling (down)
• knuckling down

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

• hanging (around or out)
• hacking (around)
• killing time
• goofing (off)
• kicking back
• vegging out
• hanging about
• lounging
• resting
• chilling
• twiddling one's thumbs
• idling
• playing
• bumming
• loafing
• relaxing
• strolling
• fiddling (around)
• lazing
• puttering (around)
• lazying
• poking
• dawdling
• pottering (around)
• droning
• footling
• dillydallying
• lolling
• messing
• mucking
• lingering
• estivating
• dallying
• monkeying
• fooling
• piddling
• trifling
• hibernating
• dozing
• lagging
• loitering
• sauntering
• ambling
• moseying
• malingering
• swanning
• goldbricking
• truanting
• tarrying
• furloughing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• working
• laboring
• grinding
• plowing
• buckling (down)
• sweating
• plugging
• toiling
• plodding
• grubbing
• hustling
• humping
• slaving
• pegging
• applying
• putting out
• drudging
• moiling
• travailing
• exerting

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

• wandering
• roaming
• knocking (about)
• strolling
• drifting
• cruising
• floating
• gadding (about)
• meandering
• ranging
• roving
• traipsing
• rambling
• batting
• gallivanting
• milling (about or around)
• sauntering
• ambling
• mooching
• maundering
• dawdling
• moping
• straggling
• straying
• tramping
• hoboing
• vagabonding

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

• abusing
• taking apart
• bullying
• messing over
• torturing
• mistreating
• working (over)
• ill-using
• injuring
• misusing
• manhandling
• violating
• brutalizing
• oppressing
• mishandling
• hurting
• maltreating
• ill-treating
• beating (up)
• persecuting
• harassing
• tormenting
• molesting
• roughing (up)
• harming
• outraging
• messing (up)
• victimizing
• wronging
• sandbagging
• burning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• caring (for)
• fostering
• nurturing
• cherishing
• catering (to)
• gratifying
• favoring
• indulging
• spoiling
• pampering
• coddling
• humoring
• babying
• mollycoddling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of kicking around

Some of the finer moments for Nemes in the studio were during rehearsals, when the band was just kicking around ideas and jamming. — Tina Eves, SPIN, 1 July 2026

All told, it’s been a pretty spectacular and drama-free rollout for an idea that had been kicking around Hollywood for over 15 years. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 18 June 2026

Husband and wife duo Cristina Marzolf and Matthew Marzolf, both 25, had been kicking around the concept of Press’d Cafe and Lounge, a family-friendly tropical escape that sells smoothies, juices and food for years. — Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026

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