# kick

Pronunciation: say "KIK" /kɪk/

## Verb

1. To hit someone or something with the foot or another part of the leg, the point being the blow itself rather than where the thing ends up.
   - Simple: To hit someone or something with your foot or leg.
   - _The horse kicked the fence in frustration._
   - _Don't kick the vending machine just because it kept your money._
3. To remove or throw someone out suddenly and without ceremony.
   - Simple: To force someone to leave a place or group.
   - _The club kicked him out for cheating._
   - _Most bars kick out anyone who starts a fight._
4. To send something to a particular place by striking it with the foot or leg.
   - Simple: To send something somewhere by hitting it with your foot.
   - _She kicked the empty can down the alley._
   - _Forwards kick the ball into open space for teammates to chase._
5. To thrust out the leg or legs with quick, sharp movements, without necessarily striking anything, as a struggling child does.
   - Simple: To move your leg out quickly, as if to hit something.
   - _The swimmer kicked steadily to stay afloat._
   - _Newborn foals kick instinctively within hours of birth._
9. To be outstandingly good or impressive. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To be extremely good or impressive.
   - _Their live shows really kick, and tickets sell out in minutes._
   - _This taco place kicks, and the line out the door proves it._
11. To overcome a difficult problem or free oneself of a bad habit. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To stop a bad habit or get rid of a problem.
   - _After years of trying, he kicked his caffeine dependence._
   - _Support groups help people kick addictions that once ruled their lives._
13. To move or push something suddenly and with great force.
   - Simple: To move or push something suddenly and hard.
   - _The engine kicked the boat forward with a roar._
   - _Sudden gusts kick sand into the air along the dunes._
16. To blame oneself angrily for a mistake or a missed opportunity. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To be angry at yourself for a mistake or a missed chance.
   - _She kicked herself for missing such an easy chance._
   - _Investors kick themselves when they sell too early._
17. In an online game, chat room, or server, to force a player or user out against their will, typically by the act of a moderator, host, or automatic system.
   - Simple: To remove someone from an online game or chat, usually as a punishment.
   - _The server owner kicked three users for flooding the channel._
   - _If you kick someone, they can usually rejoin unless you also ban them._
19. To cease to live; to die. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To die or stop being alive.
21. To express opposition or push back against something.
   - Simple: To fight against something or refuse to accept it.
   - _Voters kick against tax hikes whenever they are proposed._
   - _The committee kicked against the director's sudden changes._
24. Of a gun or similar device, to jerk back suddenly against the person holding it when it is fired or set off.
   - Simple: Of a gun, to spring back suddenly when it is fired.
   - _The pistol kicked back the moment he pulled the trigger._
   - _Cheap shotguns kick more than well-balanced ones._
26. Of a cyclist, to raise the speed suddenly with a few hard pedal strokes in order to break away from other riders.
   - Simple: In cycling, to speed up suddenly to pull ahead of the other riders.
   - _On the steepest part of the climb, the race leader rose out of the saddle to kick, and within seconds the other riders had fallen behind._
   - _Sprinters kick in the last hundred meters to claim the stage._
15. To put points or a goal on the board by kicking the ball, in sports such as American football, rugby, or Australian rules football.
   - Simple: To get points or a goal by kicking the ball, in games like American football or rugby.
   - _The rookie kicked a 52-yard field goal to send the game into overtime._
   - _Players who can kick goals from tight angles are prized in Australian rules football._

## Noun

2. A single blow struck with the foot, leg, or knee, as when someone gives a person or a door a kick.
   - Simple: A hit with your foot, leg, or knee.
   - _A single kick from the mule could break a bone._
   - _The fighter landed a spinning kick to his opponent's ribs._
6. A pass played by striking the ball with the foot.
   - Simple: A pass made by kicking the ball to a teammate.
   - _The midfielder's precise kick found a teammate at the far post._
   - _A well-placed kick switched the play to the open wing._
7. A feeling of pleasure, fun, or excitement. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A feeling of fun or excitement.
   - _He gets a kick out of solving tricky puzzles._
   - _My grandmother still gets a kick out of beating her grandchildren at cards, and she never lets them forget it._
8. A pungent, spicy quality in the flavor of food or drink.
   - Simple: A sharp, spicy taste in food or drink.
   - _The curry's kick came from a generous spoon of fresh chili._
   - _A dash of mustard gives the dressing a pleasant kick._
10. A movement made by swinging out a foot or leg, whether to strike, swim, or dance.
   - Simple: The act of swinging your foot or leg out.
   - _The dancer's high kick drew applause._
   - _A strong kick propelled the swimmer forward._
12. The stimulating effect produced by an intoxicating substance.
   - Simple: The strong effect you feel from alcohol or a drug.
   - _The cocktail had more of a kick than she expected._
   - _Drinkers felt the kick of the strong ale within minutes._
14. A brief phase of intense enthusiasm for some particular activity or interest, most often described as being "on a … kick". *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A short time when you are very keen on one activity or interest.
   - _Dad has been on a fitness kick since January and jogs before work every morning._
   - _After the documentary, the whole office went on a Japanese-food kick that lasted about three weeks._
18. A shoe, particularly a fashionable sneaker prized for its style. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A shoe, especially a stylish sneaker that people like to show off.
   - _Those kicks cost him a week's pay, but he loves them._
   - _He wiped a smudge off his left kick before the photo._
20. A sudden backward jolt, especially that of a gun when it is fired; recoil.
   - Simple: The sudden push back that a gun gives when it is fired.
   - _The old rifle had a fierce kick that surprised first-time shooters._
   - _He braced his shoulder against the gun's kick before squeezing the trigger._
22. The act of forcibly removing a person from an online game, chat, or server.
   - Simple: The act of forcing someone out of an online game or chat.
   - _Repeated spam usually results in a kick from the channel._
   - _The kick took effect the moment he posted the banned link._
23. A surge of increased speed during the final stretch of a running race.
   - Simple: A burst of extra speed near the end of a race.
   - _The miler unleashed a powerful kick to pass two rivals before the line._
   - _Lacking a finishing kick, he faded in the closing meters._
25. The distance a ball travels when struck with the foot.
   - Simple: How far a ball travels after it is kicked.
   - _The fullback's kick covered almost the length of the pitch._
   - _A stiff wind shortened the kick, leaving the ball well short of goal._

## Other meanings

- (verb) In chess, to attack an opponent's piece in order to force it to move.
- (verb) In computing, to reset a watchdog timer, signaling that the system is still functioning normally.
- (noun) A pocket in clothing, such as one in a pair of pants.
- (noun) In film and television lighting, a backlight set at an angle to a subject, producing a highlighted edge that separates them from the background.
- (verb) To operate a printing press by pressing the foot down on a treadle.
- (noun) A sixpenny coin, or the sum of six old pence.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–8, 10–18, 20–26** — Middle English kyken ("to strike out with the foot") is linked to two Old Norse verbs, kikna ("to sink at the knees") and keikja ("to bend backwards"). Behind them lies Proto-Germanic *kaikaz ("bent backwards"), whose origin is uncertain; it may come in the end from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to sprout, shoot."
**Meaning 19** — A shortening of the expression kick the bucket.
**Meaning 9** — A shortening of the expression kick ass.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/kick (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).