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
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
Bobby and Mickey were kicking around this idea of taking Grateful Dead music and modernizing it, technologically.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 17 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
Last week, the Sixers started kicking around the idea of having George back in the mix soon.
—Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
One idea some appropriators are kicking around is a December funding deadline, but not one that bumps against Christmas, as has become standard.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
Bobby and Mickey were kicking around this idea of taking Grateful Dead music and modernizing it, technologically.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 17 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
Last week, the Sixers started kicking around the idea of having George back in the mix soon.
—Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
One idea some appropriators are kicking around is a December funding deadline, but not one that bumps against Christmas, as has become standard.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicking around
Verb
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In an effort to allay whipsawing energy markets, Western powers are considering an International Energy Agency proposal for the largest-ever release of oil reserves.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
-
As a result, Chandra is good for a lot of things, but its limitations matter when considering those big questions above.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Fellow City Section member Sylmar (24-12) is playing San Marin (21-13) for the Division V title at noon.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Prior to the start of the current conflict, the IRGC was one of the most powerful organizations in the country, playing a dominant role in both internal domestic security and regional power projection.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Style it with ballet flats for an afternoon of city wandering, swap in streamlined sneakers for a full day on your feet, or add boots for dinner reservations.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
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The tiny pieces of debris are thought to have been shed by wandering comets or created en masse following asteroid collisions, though a 2021 study based on data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft suggests that Mars may be the actual source of the dusty particles.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Now that Democrats have control and have adopted a similar playbook, Republicans accuse them of abusing their power.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Chloe Johnson, 25, was caught on camera abusing several infants at a day care in Blaine, Minnesota.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By honestly and realistically contemplating these answers and by speaking with a financial advisor or gold investing company representative, investors can tailor their gold approach to one that meets their needs and goals both this month and in the months that follow.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
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While Parayko was in Seattle with the team on Wednesday night, still contemplating his decision, Armstrong ordered a thorough examination of his staff’s phone, text and email records.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lauren Kahn, a researcher at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and a former Pentagon official, describes its deployment as more like a chatbot than a free-roaming agent.—
Eric Sullivan,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
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Among myriad other possibilities, the Orca could be turned into an intriguing motorhome, quite likely the sleekest, slipperiest Class B+ RV roaming the autobahn.—
C.C. Weiss
March 05,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The many years spent pondering and preparing for a potential attack on Iran are the reason that the first days of the war were, for the most part, a bravura display of American power.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Anderson has been pondering it for a while.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 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
-
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 14 Mar. 2026.
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