KICKING OFF Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

kicking off

verb

Definition of kicking off next

present participle of kick off

as in beginning

to take the first step in (a process or course of action) I'll kick off the discussion on ethics with this question

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dying

slang to stop living surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 off Since kicking off in Honduras in February, a cycle of minimal training, maximum recovery has been the norm under Dos Santos. —

Josh Gross, Daily News, 10 May 2026 Tame Impala is winding down a spring European tour this month before kicking off a huge North American run July 6-7 in Miami. —

Spin Staff, SPIN, 8 May 2026 By evening, disruptive Uranus enters your sign, kicking off a new cycle of identity, expression, and personal direction. —

Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 More than 120 children were killed when a Tomahawk missile struck the school, kicking off a series of investigations that concluded that the US was responsible and that surveillance tools like Palantir’s Maven system had been used during that day’s strikes. —

Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026 The latest adaptation of the action video game series is uppercutting its way into theaters, kicking off the summer blockbuster season with a flurry of powerful punches. —

Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026 Paul Simon is just days away from kicking off an extensive world tour in Prague that will keep him on the road until mid-July. —

Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026 Dolly Parton delivered a candid health update while kicking off the 2026 season at Dollywood, revealing grief took a physical toll after the death of her husband of nearly six decades, Carl Dean. —

Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 14 Mar. 2026 Benny Blanco is kicking off his shoes to silence his dirty feet critics. —

Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicking off

Verb

Lee was walking us along a sweetness gradient, beginning with a savory on-ramp of legumes and caviar and arriving at a place of unambiguous dessert.

— Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 10 May 2026
Some strategists later said that the debate helped shift Pratt's candidacy from political novelty to a campaign that voters were beginning to take seriously.

— Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026