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
kicked off; kicking off; kicks off
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
: 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
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Feb. 2025
Of course, viewers know from the Season 2 finale that Colton made a trip as an adult to the summer kickoff party in 1999.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 28 Feb. 2025
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2025
So Far Filming will kick off this summer, with Nashville and Travis’ home state of North Carolina expected to be used as locations.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kickoff
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Noun
The kickoff time will be announced once television partners make their selections in late spring.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Feb. 2025
Of course, viewers know from the Season 2 finale that Colton made a trip as an adult to the summer kickoff party in 1999.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
The competition’s 75th campaign doesn’t kick off until the Australian Grand Prix next week, with pre-season testing—the sport’s version of spring training—held last week at the Bahrain International Circuit.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2025
So Far Filming will kick off this summer, with Nashville and Travis’ home state of North Carolina expected to be used as locations.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kickoff
Articles Related to kickoff
Cite this Entry
“Kickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kickoff. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kickoff
1 of 2 noun
kick·off
ˈkik-ˌȯf 
: 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
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