kicked up; kicking up; kicks up
1
: to cause to rise upward
clouds of dust kicked up by passing cars
2
: to stir up : provoke
kick up a fuss
: to give evidence of disorder
Examples of kickup in a Sentence
Noun
after their last kickup, they didn't speak to each other for a week
Recent Examples on the Web
Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
The winds that kick up this time of year proved wicked.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
From gumbo to Mardi Gras wings, kicking up your game-day menu with a little spice is a slam dunk.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
Start with our cover star, food director Chris Morocco’s one-hour bolognese that uses a pantry shortcut, Chinese black bean sauce, to kick up the umami.
—The Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kickup
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.
Verb
Sweeping and even vacuuming can kick up dust, which often settles on the top of baseboards.
—Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
The winds that kick up this time of year proved wicked.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
From gumbo to Mardi Gras wings, kicking up your game-day menu with a little spice is a slam dunk.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2026
Start with our cover star, food director Chris Morocco’s one-hour bolognese that uses a pantry shortcut, Chinese black bean sauce, to kick up the umami.
—The Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kickup
Cite this Entry
“Kickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kickup. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
