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Definition of kick verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

kick

verb
 
/kɪk/
 
/kɪk/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they kick
 
/kɪk/
 
/kɪk/
he / she / it kicks
 
/kɪks/
 
/kɪks/
past simple kicked
 
/kɪkt/
 
/kɪkt/
past participle kicked
 
/kɪkt/
 
/kɪkt/
-ing form kicking
 
/ˈkɪkɪŋ/
 
/ˈkɪkɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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  1. [transitive, intransitive] to hit somebody/something with your foot
    • Stop kicking—it hurts!
    • kick somebody/something She was punched and kicked by her attackers.
    • kick somebody/something + adv./prep./adj. The boys were kicking a ball around in the yard.
    • Vandals had kicked the door down.
    • She had to kick the door open because her hands were full.
    • kick + adv./prep. She kicked at the loose pebbles by the roadside.
    Extra Examples
    • Don't kick the ball too hard.
    • He was sent off for deliberately kicking an Italian player.
    • They threw him to the ground and kicked him hard in the stomach.
    • Marcia gently kicked the horse again to make it trot.
    • She could feel the baby kicking against her stomach wall.
    • Abe roared and kicked over a table.
    • She kicked me on the knee.
    • Suddenly the far door was kicked open.
    • He got up angrily and kicked the chair over.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • hard
    • savagely
    • viciously
    preposition
    • against
    • at
    • in
    phrases
    • kick a door down
    • kick a door open
    • kick a door shut
    See full entry
  2. [transitive, intransitive] to move your legs as if you were kicking something
    • The child was dragged away, kicking and screaming.
    • kick something The dancers kicked their legs in the air.
    Extra Examples
    • He rolled over in the sand, kicking wildly.
    • I tried to dive back under, kicking with my legs.
    • I was carried upstairs, arms waving and legs kicking.
    • The little boy was now lying on his back kicking his legs in the air.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • frantically
    • furiously
    • wildly
    preposition
    • out at
    • with
    phrases
    • drag somebody kicking and screaming
    • kick your legs
    • your legs kick
    See full entry
  3. [transitive] kick yourself (informal) to be annoyed with yourself because you have done something stupid, missed an opportunity, etc.
    • He'll kick himself when he finds out he could have had the job.
    Extra Examples
    • I could kick myself for being so stupid.
    • I mentally kicked myself for missing such an opportunity.
  4. [transitive] kick something (in sports such as football (soccer) and rugby) to score points by kicking the ball
    • to kick a penalty/goal
    • He kicked 23 points, ensuring victory for New Zealand.
    see also drop-kick, fly-kickTopics Sports: ball and racket sportsa2
  5. [transitive] kick something (informal) to stop doing something harmful that you have done for a long time
    • He had been smoking for 15 years and wanted to kick the habit.
    • to kick drugs/the booze
  6. Word Originlate Middle English: of unknown origin.
Idioms
alive and kicking
  1. very active, healthy or popular
    • My mother is still alive and kicking.
    Topics Health and Fitnessc2
beat/kick (the) hell out of somebody/something | knock hell out of somebody/something
  1. (informal) to hit somebody/something very hard
    • He was a dirty player and loved to kick hell out of the opposition.
kick (some) ass/butt (North American English, offensive, slang)
  1. to act in a way that is aggressive or full of energy
  2. to succeed or win in an impressive wayTopics Successc2
kick (some/somebody’s) ass
  1. (North American English, taboo, slang) to punish or defeat somebody
kick the bucket
  1. (informal or humorous) to die
kick the can (down the road)
  1. (informal) to delay dealing with a problem
    • This is another attempt to kick the can down the road and leave it to the next generation.
kick your heels
  1. (British English) to have nothing to do while you are waiting for somebody/something
    • We were kicking our heels, waiting for some customers.
(drag somebody) kicking and screaming
  1. (informal) if you drag somebody kicking and screaming to do something, they only do it with great protests because they don't really want to do it at all
    • The president had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the signing ceremony.
kick somebody in the teeth
  1. to treat somebody badly or fail to give them help when they need it
kick something into the long grass/into touch
  1. (British English) to reject something or treat it as not important; to stop dealing with a problem
    • He tends to deal with disputes by kicking them into the long grass.
kick over the traces
  1. (British English, old-fashioned) to start to behave badly and refuse to accept any discipline or control
kick the tyres (British English)
(North American English kick the tires)
  1. (especially North American English, informal) to test the quality of something to see whether it is suitable for you before you buy it
kick up a fuss, stink, etc.
  1. (informal) to complain loudly about something
    • They’ll usually give you your money back if you threaten to kick up a stink.
kick up your heels
  1. (especially North American English, informal) to be relaxed and enjoy yourself
kick somebody upstairs
  1. (informal) to move somebody to a job that seems to be more important but that actually has less power or influence
kick somebody when they’re down
  1. to continue to hurt somebody when they are already defeated, etc.
See kick in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
trait
noun
 
 
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