1
as in to begin
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to die
slang
to stop living
surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in beginning
the point at which something begins
a political cycle in which an election marks not only the end of one campaign but also the kickoff for the next one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kick off
Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 8 Nov. 2025
However, the years-in-the-making tour will instead kick off in March 2026, six years after the singer first announced her intention for a solo jaunt.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2025
Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Sunderland was a kickoff specialist for the Wolverines last season, with 44 touchbacks in 71 attempts last season.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kick off
Verb
Jelly Roll has been forced to cancel the final date of his debut Australia and New Zealand tour, citing illness, just hours before the headline show was set to kick off.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 8 Nov. 2025
However, the years-in-the-making tour will instead kick off in March 2026, six years after the singer first announced her intention for a solo jaunt.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
But special teams were inconsistent among roughing the punter and running into the punter penlaties, allowing a kickoff return touchdown immediately after recording a punt return touchdown, and failing to recover an onside kick.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Sunderland was a kickoff specialist for the Wolverines last season, with 44 touchbacks in 71 attempts last season.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kick off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kick off
Verb
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On the plane, Dick clutches the slingshot and begins sweating and muttering to himself before becoming unresponsive.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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Numerous reports and videos of thundersnow in downtown Chicago began to roll in after midnight local time.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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By 1971, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Brian Jones had all died at the age of twenty-seven from drugs and alcohol.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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This year's awards season promises to deliver more inspiration, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor an invest in a quality round brush, some styling gel or pomade, and a ride-or-die can of hairspray.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Indiana went on a 14-1 run in the third to take the lead from Nebraska (14-2, 3-2) for the first time since the beginning of the game, leading briefly at 51-49.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
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As for the Lady Kate, Furrer said the 110-foot boat stopped cruising at the beginning of the pandemic.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Amazon quietly discounted dozens of top picks from Stewart’s collection, including Dutch ovens, knife sets, oven mitts, and more, with prices starting at just $8 and discounts going for up to 60 percent off.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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The second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft wasn’t the Saints’ guy to start the season.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Two things happened on that blustery back-to-school morning that fell exactly a month after my eleventh birthday.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Midway through the third quarter, true freshman linebacker Mason Posa, buried on the depth chart just weeks ago, ripped the ball loose at Washington’s 7-yard line and fell on it himself.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The inspirational book was adapted from the former Navy SEAL’s viral 2014 commencement speech for the University of Texas.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
30 Dec. 2025
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Oakland University, in Rochester, Michigan, says fall commencement services will take place as planned, despite recent campus building closings related to problems with its high-temperature hot water pipe system.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The bombardment of political ads will commence this week.—
Paul Miller,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
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Officials then searched the children’s home and commenced an air and ground search.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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To save humankind, a geophysicist living with early-onset Alzheimer’s is recruited to investigate the vast void swallowing the oceans.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
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The onset of elevated inflation alongside sluggish hiring has put the Fed in a difficult position.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kick off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kick%20off. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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