Kick (Verb)
Meaning 1
Spring back, as from a forceful thrust; "The gun kicked back into my shoulder".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The rifle kicked back into his shoulder after he pulled the trigger.
- The recoil caused the shotgun to kick back violently against her grip.
- As he fired the pistol, it kicked back into his hand.
- The kickback from the powerful engine shook the entire vehicle.
- The machine gun kicked back against his body with each burst of fire.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
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Meaning 2
Strike with the foot; "The boy kicked the dog"; "Kick the door down".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She kicked the ball with all her might, scoring the winning goal.
- He kicked the leaves that had accumulated on the sidewalk.
- The angry customer started to kick the vending machine when it wouldn't dispense a snack.
- The police officer kicked the door down to enter the suspect's room.
- The hikers had to kick their way through the dense underbrush to reach the summit.
Related Words
Meaning 3
Thrash about or strike out with the feet.
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The angry horse began to kick wildly as the rider tried to calm it down.
- She started to kick the bed with her legs in frustration after a bad dream.
- He kicked out with his foot as another player tripped him on the soccer field.
- The stubborn mule would kick if you got too close to its stall door.
- The toddler kicked and squirmed on the floor while having a tantrum.
Related Words
Meaning 4
Kick a leg up.
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- She lightheartedly kicked a leg up in the air as she walked down the street.
- Kicking a leg up over the fence was her favorite way to get into the park.
- In the yoga pose, she was supposed to kick a leg up towards the ceiling.
- The gymnast kicked a leg up high and landed perfectly on the balance beam.
- While dancing, she kicked a leg up in rhythm with the music's fast beat.
Hypernyms
Meaning 5
Stop consuming; "kick a habit"; "give up alcohol".
Classification
Verbs of eating and drinking.
Examples
- After reaching her goal weight, she decided to kick the junk food habit for good.
- The recovering addict struggled to kick the nicotine dependency that had plagued her for years.
- He found it difficult to kick the caffeine addiction that had become an integral part of his daily routine.
- To improve his health, he resolved to kick the alcohol habit and start exercising regularly.
- The celebrity used social media to announce that she had successfully kicked the sugar habit and felt revitalized.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 6
Express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness; "My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot to kick about".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- She has a lot to kick about given the service they provided was subpar.
- They've been known to kick about the noise from the construction site for months.
- If you think about it, the commuters have legitimate reasons to kick about poor public transportation.
- The working conditions are terrible so I wouldn't blame them for wanting to kick about something.
- The neighborhood committee has every right to kick about the authorities not addressing their complaints.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
- Croak
- Hen-peck
- Backbite
- Gnarl
- Protest
- Bellyache
- Beef
- Repine
- Report
- Yammer
- Rail
- Crab
- Deplore
- Whine
- Grouch
- Bewail
- Nag
- Grumble
- Holler
- Yawp
- Murmur
- Squawk
- Grouse
- Bleat
- Scold
- Bemoan
- Gripe
Related Words
Meaning 7
Drive or propel with the foot.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She used all her strength to kick the ball into the goal.
- The horse will kick if you get too close to its hind legs.
- He carefully learned to kick the boards to propel himself while surfing.
- As they swam to the surface, they had to kick hard to break through the ice.
- In rugby, it's essential to master the technique of how to kick the ball.
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
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Meaning 8
Make a goal; "He kicked the extra point after touchdown".
Classification
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities.
Examples
- He kicked the extra point after the touchdown with impressive strength and precision.
- Kicking the winning field goal in the last seconds of the game was a challenging task for the new player.
- After dodging several opponents, Johnson managed to kick a touchdown from 45 yards out.
- She kicked the ball with all her might but it sailed wide of the goalpost once again.
- With seconds left on the clock, Smith lined up and kicked the game-winning field goal.