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
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025
He’s also carried the ball out of the backfield and been explosive on kickoff returns.
—Manny Navarro, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2025
The home series will kick off at least a three-year stint at the 14,000-seat venue, which the MLB team will share with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kickoff
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Noun
The kickoff to Super Bowl LX is nearly a year away, but NBCUniversal is already at work trying to tackle ad dollars for the glitzy sports event.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025
He’s also carried the ball out of the backfield and been explosive on kickoff returns.
—Manny Navarro, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
Other limited releases: Focus Features’ The Ballad Of Wallis Island by James Griffiths kicked off with $92k at 4 locations in New York and Los Angeles ($23 PTA).
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2025
The home series will kick off at least a three-year stint at the 14,000-seat venue, which the MLB team will share with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kickoff
Cite this Entry
“Kickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kickoff. Accessed 4 Apr. 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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