Definition of "kick off" in English

Verb

1. To make the first kick in a game or part of a game.

   • The players kick off for the third quarter and the clock starts.

2. To start; to launch; to set in motion.

   • Let's kick off this project with a planning meeting.
   • The project kicked off with an energy-sapping meeting.

3. To dismiss; to expel; to remove from a position.

   • I got kicked off the team after a string of poor performances

4. To die or quit permanently.

   • It's a wonder that old dog hasn't kicked off yet.

5. To shut down or turn off suddenly.

   • The washer was working fine until it kicked off in the middle of a cycle.
   • The circuit breaker, a power failure, and the e-stop button are the only things we can think of that might have caused that pump to kick off when it did.

6. To suddenly become more active.

   • The party kicked off when the third bottle of wine was opened.

7. To force the weaning of a bovine cow's calf by restricting the calf's access to its mother's udders, whether by literally kicking it away or another method.

   • A week after we kicked off her calf that cow was still bawling.

8. To be overcome with anger, to start an argument or a fight; to behave aggressively.

   • When she called him a drunk, it was the last straw. He just kicked off.

9. To have a fight or argument start; to fight or argue.

   • It really kicked off in town when the team lost.