kicks off

verb

present tense third-person singular of kick off
1
as in begins
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 dies
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 kicks off The Head of the Charles Regatta kicks off in Boston Friday morning and one special team of rowers has its eye on history. — Amanda Callahan, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 London is still underway, and AFI FEST kicks off in Los Angeles on October 21. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026 Like every other competitor, the US Airspeeder team will use a standard Mk3C aircraft, albeit with DeLorean's branding and custom livery for the series that kicks off next month. — New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026 Here, though MipJunior kicks off blessed by early fall sun, the PBS outlook is more overcast. — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 Phase 2 starts Saturday, when Atlanta kicks off a best-of-five series with the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The tour kicks off at a high point for the University of Illinois System, which has seen a boost in undergraduate enrollment this fall. — Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 College football kicks off in a few hours, and Underdog is offering you a great option to receive a $1,000 deposit match bonus to use for college football this weekend using promo code FOXNEWS. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 This is when the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale kicks off and lasts for a few weeks, highlighting thousands of prestige brands and SKUs that are normally never discounted—on Nordstrom or elsewhere! — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 4 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicks off
  1. begins
  2. dies
  3. commences
  4. falls
  5. starts
  6. passes away
  7. opens
  8. perishes
Verb
  • Starship is still under development, but once the rocket begins operational flights (and that day is getting closer), SpaceX plans to phase out the Falcon 9 and its Falcon Heavy variant almost entirely.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The problem begins, in part, with medical training and education.
    — Lyndon Haviland, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of begins
Verb
  • One in five people who contract Vibrio Vulnificus — a species of the bacteria that causes necrotizing fasciitis, a condition in which the flesh around a wound dies — typically die, according to the Center for Disease Control.
    — Eva Flowe October 21, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • When a whale dies and sinks to the ocean floor, its carcass provides sustenance for deep-sea organisms for centuries, triggering a shockwave of life.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of dies
Verb
  • The process, in other words, commences with the industrial production of miniature supernovas.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • January 2025 to May 2025 Cornell commences a Title IX investigation.
    — Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of commences
Verb
  • When carb intake falls sharply, the liver turns fat into ketones, an alternative fuel for the brain and other tissues that may cause less metabolic stress.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Bangladesh’s experience shows the challenge of containing an outbreak when vaccination coverage falls below 95%, a level the WHO says is needed to prevent outbreaks.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of falls
Verb
  • At this scale, the IDR process starts to affect the broader cost structure within the healthcare industry.
    — Christine Cooper, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Each song starts with Javkar’s words and the feeling or idea behind them.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of starts
Verb
  • His famous patient passes away 25 minutes into the film; the remaining 86 minutes focus on Garofalo’s legal maneuverings and his own incredulity at virtually every part of the process of being put through the public wringer.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Notable franchise records • Dak Prescott is six touchdown passes away from passing Tony Romo to become the Dallas Cowboys career leader in passing touchdowns.
    — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of passes away
Verb
  • Tao Okamoto, meanwhile, lends a gentle intensity to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, which opens in theaters on November 25.
    — Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The 3,230-square-foot space, which opens on Saturday, spans two floors with the ground level meant to resemble a living room.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of opens
Verb
  • In The Children, sister and brother Guinevere and Ennis grow up under the shadow of their mother, Edith Sharpe, whose Ninth City children’s book series transfixes the world until Edith perishes in a mysterious fire in Vermont.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
  • Every soldier Harry would have saved on a transport during the war perishes too.
    — Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Dec. 2025
Definition of perishes

Browse Nearby Words

kicks in
kicks off
kicks out
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Cite this Entry

“Kicks off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicks%20off. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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