kick around
Idioms-
Treat badly, abuse, as in I'm sick and tired of being kicked around by my supervisor . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]
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Also, kick about . Move from place to place, as in They spent three years kicking around the country on their bikes , or We've no address; we're just kicking about until we find somewhere to settle . [ Colloquial ; early 1800s]
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Also, kick about . Consider, think about or discuss; examine or try out. For example, Let's kick this scenario around for a while and see what we come up with , or We've been kicking about various schemes to make money . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]
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Be available or unused, as in This old computer has been kicking around for months—no one seems to want it . [c. 1900]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We don't have El Niño to kick around anymore,” Yulsman said.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025
“You don’t have Nixon to kick around anymore. Because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2024
Jamaal Lascelles goes into the book for bringing down Jeremy Doku and City have a free kick around 30 yards out.
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2024
Its conceit is simple — five people, four of them conservative and one liberal — kick around the issues of the day.
From Washington Times • Jun. 21, 2023
We used to read in our treehouse or kick around a soccer ball if Avery got her way.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
