kickoff

1 of 2

noun

kick·​off ˈkik-ˌȯf How to pronounce kickoff (audio)
1
: a kick that puts the ball into play in a football or soccer game
the opening kickoff
2
: the start of something : commencement
the campaign kickoff

kick off

2 of 2

verb

kicked off; kicking off; kicks off

intransitive verb

1
: to start or resume play in football by a placekick
2
a
: to initiate proceedings
b
: to start out : begin
the movie kicks off with a bank robbery
3
slang : die

transitive verb

: to mark the beginning of
kick off the campaign

Examples of kickoff in a Sentence

Noun At his campaign kickoff, the senator gave a passionate speech about combating poverty. His speech marked the kickoff of his campaign. Verb I'll kick off the discussion on ethics with this question. surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The team, unchanged from the starting lineup that opened the season in Houston, looked energized by the atmosphere at Children’s Mercy Park and pushed for a goal right from kickoff. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2024 A touch of agitation as the clock ticked and kickoff neared. Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Butler said his party could be considered the kickoff to the 2025 NFL draft, which is being hosted in Green Bay, in and near Lambeau Field. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 Second in a four-part series on how Latino political power has changed Los Angeles PART II: THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY MACHINE SPEAKS Alex Padilla was a 22-year-old managing his first election campaign when advisors issued a challenge: Make sure the kickoff party for your guy has at least 100 guests. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Suarez presented his jersey Luis Suarez was presented to the home crowd just before kickoff by Inter Miami owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas. Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 On Super Bowl Sunday, a few hours before kickoff, a shooter armed with an AR-15 and multiple rounds opened fire at a Houston megachurch led by Joel Osteen, a celebrity televangelist and pastor. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 Saturday saw a delay of around eight minutes to the kickoff of the league's biggest game as Leverkusen beat Bayern 3-0. James Ellingworth, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024 Also performing ahead of kickoff are Reba McEntire and Post Malone. Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
Rodrigo’s first-ever arena tour kicked off Feb. 23, and has so far seen the Grammy winner play shows in Phoenix, three cities in Texas, New Orleans and Orlando in addition to Miami. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 On March 6, the brand-new season kicked off on Fox with celebrity panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Rita Ora doing their best to guess the celebrities behind the mask. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Today, though, Gauff’s quest for her next big title begins anew as the BNP Paribas Open—better know as Indian Wells—kicks off in California. Corey Seymour, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024 The June start date means the trial will kick off just after this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May, ensuring the case and the debate around Boutonnat will remain front and center in the French media. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Grammy-winning rock revivalists the Black Keys, soulful octet Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and Grammy-winning R&B star Leon Bridges will kick off the day’s event. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Tuesday also kicked off the first House and Senate primaries of the year as well as closely watched state elections and ballot measures. USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 Trump had been kicked off the ballots in Colorado, Maine and Illinois, but all three rulings were on hold awaiting the Supreme Court's decision. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Mar. 2024 The Forget Tomorrow World Tour will kick off April 29 in Vancouver, Canada. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kickoff.' 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

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1857, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kickoff was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near kickoff

Cite this Entry

“Kickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kickoff. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kickoff

1 of 2 noun
kick·​off ˈkik-ˌȯf How to pronounce kickoff (audio)
: a kick that puts the ball into play (as in soccer or football)

kick off

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)kik-ˈȯf
1
: to make a kickoff
2

More from Merriam-Webster on kickoff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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