kick around

verb

kicked around; kicking around; kicks around

intransitive verb

1

: to wander or pass time aimlessly

2

a

: to lie about mostly unnoticed or forgotten

b

: to undergo consideration usually intermittently over a period of time

ideas that have been kicking around for years

transitive verb

1

: to treat in an inconsiderate or high-handed fashion

2

: to consider, examine, or discuss from various angles

Synonyms

• chew over
• cogitate
• consider
• contemplate
• debate
• deliberate
• entertain
• eye
• meditate
• mull (over)
• perpend
• ponder
• pore (over)
• question
• revolve
• ruminate
• study
• think (about or over)
• turn
• weigh
• wrestle (with)

Examples of kick around in a Sentence

the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office

I really can't do much but kick around at work until I get the rest of the submissions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Multiple options are being kicked around among Trump allies to tighten the interpretation, keenly aware that any action would likely be legally challenged and eventually land before the Supreme Court. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2024

College poohbahs have met in fancy hotel ballrooms and kicked around fines, suspensions, forfeits, banning offenders, etc. —David Whitley, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024

An outside-the-box idea for the rotation The Cubs have kicked around the possibility of stretching out Nate Pearson as a starter, though his role next season will very likely be in the bullpen. —Sahadev Sharma, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024

Martin was also keen on the idea of a movie and the author told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2014 that concepts were being kicked around. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1