kick in

verb

kicked in; kicking in; kicks in

intransitive verb

1
: to begin operating or having an effect : get started
waiting for the heater to kick in
2
: to make a contribution
3
slang : die

Examples of kick in in a Sentence

if everyone in the department kicks in, we can give him an especially nice present for his retirement the ornery cuss finally kicked in at the ripe old age of 90
Recent Examples on the Web Congress passed another short-term spending measure Thursday that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22, avoiding a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise kick in Saturday. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024 Officers arrived at the residence to find the rear door kicked in and all the deer mounts missing from the walls. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024 The top bracket would kick in at the Social Security wage base, currently $168,600. Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Lazar has explained her call stems from the belief that the recessionary impacts of the Fed’s rate hikes haven’t kicked in yet. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 In healthy people, glucose levels naturally increase after eating, but then go back down again as insulin and other hormones kick in to help the body absorb it. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 But with Harrison under team control through 2029 and Webb’s five-year contract extension kicking in this season, the Giants could have a one-two punch for years to come. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024 That’s where the second property of quantum error-correcting codes kicks in — the actual error correction. Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 While the canvas sneakers come in 21 colors (and are always dropping in fun new hues and prints), the kicks in off-white canvas are a Los Angeles favorite, which shouldn't be a shock, since Los Angelenos are known for their affinity for laidback aesthetics. Madeline Diamond, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kick in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of kick in was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near kick in

Cite this Entry

“Kick in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kick%20in. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kick in

verb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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