KICKING (OFF) Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

kicking off

verb

present participle of kick off

as in beginning

to take the first step in (a process or course of action) I'll kick off the discussion on ethics with this question

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as in dying

slang to stop living surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off

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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 kicking off Stop taking it, and the mimicry stops too, kicking off a fairly predictable chain of changes over the days and weeks that follow. —

Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026 The mother of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro — who claimed her son had been kidnapped, kicking off a frantic search in the Inland Empire — now faces a lengthy prison sentence after admitting to charges related to her role in the infant’s disappearance and death. —

Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026 North Side neighborhoods are kicking off Chicago's summer festival season this weekend. —

Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 16 May 2026 Since kicking off in Honduras in February, a cycle of minimal training, maximum recovery has been the norm under Dos Santos. —

Josh Gross, Daily News, 10 May 2026 Tame Impala is winding down a spring European tour this month before kicking off a huge North American run July 6-7 in Miami. —

Spin Staff, SPIN, 8 May 2026 By evening, disruptive Uranus enters your sign, kicking off a new cycle of identity, expression, and personal direction. —

Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 More than 120 children were killed when a Tomahawk missile struck the school, kicking off a series of investigations that concluded that the US was responsible and that surveillance tools like Palantir’s Maven system had been used during that day’s strikes. —

Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026 The latest adaptation of the action video game series is uppercutting its way into theaters, kicking off the summer blockbuster season with a flurry of powerful punches. —

Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicking off

Verb

Advertisement Along with restoring the center’s name, Judge Cooper also reversed the board’s decision to shut it down for two years beginning on July 5.

— Philip Wang, Time, 13 June 2026
Just a few neighborhoods away, another revolution was brewing at CBGB, where punk rock was beginning to rewrite the city’s soundtrack.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 13 June 2026