KICKOFFS Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

kickoffs

noun

plural of kickoff

as in starts

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

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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 kickoffs That’s the goal every year, and UM has now done it two years in a row, with Carter Davis and Burt Auburn last season and Northwestern’s Jack Olsen (19 for 21 on field goals) and FSU’s Jake Weinberg (touchbacks on 56 of his 61 kickoffs). — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026 Rafi says separate arrangements were made for female DIU students to watch late-night kickoffs in Bangladesh, through screenings at their hostels, which is why fewer women are to be seen in the videos that flooded social media. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 19 July 2026 One of the major discussion points throughout this tournament – especially in Europe – has been about game times with many kickoffs coming late for the US East Coast or overnight for Europeans. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 Along with the hydration breaks, more evening kickoffs were scheduled in the hottest host cities to take advantage of cooler nighttime temperatures. — Carlos Roa, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2026 While the matches drew protests against the Iranian regime, including some booing both times the national anthem was played before kickoffs, the crowds heavily favored and cheered loudly for the Iranian team. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026 Next month marks the one-year countdown to the Birmingham edition of Prince Harry's Invictus Games, and the couple has attended Invictus kickoffs together previously. — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026 Incoom, a special teams ace, will be a primary member of the coverage teams on punts and kickoffs. — Mike Kaye june 16, Charlotte Observer, 16 June 2026 Fans who like Saturday games and dislike nighttime kickoffs should be quite pleased. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 27 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kickoffs

Noun

Landen Roupp entered play having allowed just three earned runs over his last three starts but couldn’t find the strike zone against Milwaukee, allowing four runs over 3 2/3 innings with three walks.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 July 2026
The lefty has allowed 20 home runs in 13 starts and three relief appearances this year, permitting four in his previous three games, allowing at least one in each of those turns.

— Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of starts

Noun

The evening ritual is a sweet hat tip to the property’s beginnings—more on that below.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026
Astrologically, solar eclipses are equivalent to a super potent new moon, and are often associated with new beginnings, redirections and chapters that continue developing over time.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026

Definition of beginnings

Noun

Experts said the second earthquake began before the first had even ended, with the two onsets separated by just 39 seconds.

— Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 26 June 2026
Anxiety disorders can persist into adulthood, particularly those disorders with early onsets and those that are left untreated.

— Elana Bernstein, The Conversation, 13 May 2022

Definition of onsets

Noun

An official confirmed to Ars that this is indeed the case, that the primary factor now for when Starliner launches is port availability on the space station.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026
Consumers who understand a brand’s identity often require less convincing during the purchase process and may be more receptive to line extensions and product launches.

— Louis Biscotti, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of launches

Noun

In the past few years, Underwood has come to realize that a bunch of barking alphas may not, in fact, be the best way to build a successful pack.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
As a ballplayer, Kent was as irascible as Bonds; the two alphas reportedly brawled behind clubhouse doors, and famously clashed in the dugout during a 2002 game, when Bonds lunged for Kent’s throat and pushed him against the wall.

— Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025

Definition of alphas

Noun

The Jordan and James camps will continue to pound away at each other from their baselines, back and forth, making the rest of us who are undecided feel like chair umpires at a tennis match, head on a swivel.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Stanford University’s 2026 AI Index reports that several frontier models now meet or exceed human baselines on tests covering doctorate level science, multimodal reasoning and competition mathematics.

— Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of baselines

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kickoff

kickoffs

kick out

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“Kickoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kickoffs. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of kickoffs

noun

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