1
as in began
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 died
slang
to stop living
surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of kicked off
The concert series kicked off in Mexico City in April.
—
Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
Madrid’s players took part in last weekend’s protests against the Miami game, standing still when their game at Getafe kicked off last Sunday.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
The secret concert marked the final stop on Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour, which kicked off in early 2024 in Palm Springs and has since spanned over 75 dates across North America and Europe.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2025
The ceremony kicked off with a surprise message from Quentin Tarantino, projected on the Amphithéâtre’s giant screen.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
Firstly, a trader using a smaller exchange (Hyperliquid) placed a large one-way bet on the market dropping substantially within minutes of the announcement coming from the White House that kicked off the market turmoil.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 18 Oct. 2025
The premiere episode of Boston Blue kicked off the next chapter of the Blue Bloods saga on CBS.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
In a store walkthrough with Tim Rupp, senior creative director of retail and experiences at Nike, the executive told FN that planning for the top-to-bottom renovation kicked off in March.
—Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Decades of fighting for women’s suffrage in the United States found success in 1920, which kicked off a decade of some relaxation of the restrictions on women.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
Madrid’s players took part in last weekend’s protests against the Miami game, standing still when their game at Getafe kicked off last Sunday.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
The secret concert marked the final stop on Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour, which kicked off in early 2024 in Palm Springs and has since spanned over 75 dates across North America and Europe.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2025
The ceremony kicked off with a surprise message from Quentin Tarantino, projected on the Amphithéâtre’s giant screen.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
Firstly, a trader using a smaller exchange (Hyperliquid) placed a large one-way bet on the market dropping substantially within minutes of the announcement coming from the White House that kicked off the market turmoil.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 18 Oct. 2025
The premiere episode of Boston Blue kicked off the next chapter of the Blue Bloods saga on CBS.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
In a store walkthrough with Tim Rupp, senior creative director of retail and experiences at Nike, the executive told FN that planning for the top-to-bottom renovation kicked off in March.
—Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Decades of fighting for women’s suffrage in the United States found success in 1920, which kicked off a decade of some relaxation of the restrictions on women.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicked off
Verb
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Many Federal Aviation Administration facilities are so critically short on controllers that just a few absences can cause disruptions, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that more air traffic controllers have been calling in sick since the shutdown began.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
That is when the gruelling road back to fitness began.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The 19-year-old driver of the SUV, Yaakov Kilberg, and the three 18-year-old passengers — Aharon Lebovits, Shlomo Cohen and Chaim Grossman — all died, the outlets reported.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Despite lifesaving measures, the man died from his injuries, according to Adger.—
Julie Mendes,
AZCentral.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The split commenced a contentious court battle in which the former model requested $175,057 in child support payments, a $45,000 increase from a tentative payment order, during a two-day Santa Barbara court hearing in August, according to People.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
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Thus commenced an awkward situation in which the next Rutgers president would inherit an athletic director who had just been hired by his predecessor.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The at-bats were brief and uneventful, the opposite of the approach that carried Toronto to this stage and felled Snell in Game 1.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
-
That says a lot about the 2025 Red Sox, who were a top offensive team in many metrics, but were also felled by their bats in crucial spots throughout the year and postseason.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Team-mates who had started the match were entitled to a greater share of the blame.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In 1977, Rosalynn Carter started the tradition of the office of the first lady being located in the wing, alongside the social secretary.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some of their group passed away, others moved out of town and a few were worried about interacting with too many people at the height of the pandemic.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Oct. 2025
-
My grandparents not talking about their experience being sent to a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, and then also my mom never talking about her older sister, who passed away before I was born.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The performance opened with a black and white sequence, before partner Emma Slater joined him for a dramatic choreography.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
In 2014, the CCP opened the space sector to private capital, and in 2019 the China Commercial Space Alliance was launched to support that commercial growth both within China and globally.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Unfortunately, Castro-Rivera perished.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
26 Oct. 2025
-
All told, hundreds of thousands perished.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kicked off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicked%20off. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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