KICKING • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Kicking

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/kˈɪkɪŋ/ Listen

noun

kicking n. The act of delivering a blow with the foot.

Synonyms: kick, boot.

alive and kicking alive and vigorously active.

verb

Kick v. t. (past & past part. kicked; pres. part. kicking)

1.

To strike, thrust, or hit violently with the foot; as, a horse kicks a groom; a man kicks a dog. "He (Frederick the Great) kicked the shins of his judges."

2.

To evict or remove from a place or position, usually with out or off; as, they kicked him off the staff; he was kicked out of the restaurant; the landlord kicked them out of the apartment for making too much noise.

3.

(Sport) To score (goals or points) by kicking; as, they kicked three field goals in the game.

4.

To discontinue; usually used of habitual activities; as, to kick a habit; he kicked his drug habit.

To kick the beam, to fit up and strike the beam; said of the lighter arm of a loaded balance; hence, to be found wanting in weight.

To kick the bucket, to lose one's life; to die. (Colloq. & Low)

To kick oneself, to experience strong regret; as, he kicked himself for not investing in the stock market in 1995.

Kick v. i.

1.

To thrust out the foot or feet with violence; to strike out with the foot or feet, as in defense or in bad temper; esp., to strike backward, as a horse does, or to have a habit of doing so. Hence, (figuratively): To show ugly resistance, opposition, or hostility; to spurn. "I should kick, being kicked."

2.

To recoil; said of a musket, cannon, etc.; also called kick back.

3.

(Football) To make a kick as an offensive play.

4.

To complain strenuously; to object vigorously.

5.

To resist.

See images of 'Kicking'

Etymology of 'Kicking'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Kicking" Quotes from Famous Books

... Luckily, he was tied to the rope between two guides, one of whom had passed the dangerous corner, while the other, behind, had also a safe footing. As he fell the guides braced themselves, the rope zipped, and the unfortunate adventurer hung clutching and kicking at the polished blue wall. He had really descended but a few feet into the crevasse, though to him doubtless it seemed a hundred, and with a surprising display of strength, or skill, the guides hauled him out by simply tightening the rope. One of them pulled back ...

— McClure's Magazine, Vol. VI., No. 6, May, 1896 • Various

... strange cry broke Young Grumpy's nerve. He scuttled for his hole his jet-black heels kicking up the straws behind him. As soon as he began to run, of course, the gander saw him and swept after him with a ferocious hissing. But Young Grumpy had got the start. He dived into his hole just as the gander ...

— Children of the Wild • Charles G. D. Roberts

... started out again. As Phil had touched, in kicking it, a creature from another "space," perhaps they might find water and even food somewhere. They retraced their first steps to the spot where they had at first seen water. They found it again and were able to dip their hands into it. It was warm, and too salty to drink. They came to the ...

— The Einstein See-Saw • Miles John Breuer

... hateful that I've got to call," said Mrs. Washington, in her refined melodious voice. "Teddy says that I must, because sooner or later we've all got to know them,—old Dillon's a red Indian chief in the financial world; and there's no use kicking against money, anyhow. But I can't cotton to that sort of people, and I just cried last night when Teddy—the old darling! I'd do anything to please him—told ...

— The Californians • Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton

... he never got up again—he was trampled out of shape. Trench had seen such victims dragged from the prison each morning; and he was a small man. Therefore he fought for his corner in a frenzy like a wild beast, kicking with his fetters, thrusting with his elbows, diving under this big man's arm, burrowing between two others, tearing at their clothes, using his nails, his fists, and even striking at heads with the chain which dangled from ...

— The Four Feathers • A. E. W. Mason

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