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Showing results for kick in. Search instead for kick+in.
Synonyms

kick in

British  

verb

  1. (intr) to start or become activated

  2. informal (tr) to contribute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
kick in Idioms  

  1. Contribute one's share, as in We'll kick in half if you take care of the rest . [ Colloquial ; c. 1900]

  2. Also, kick off . Die, as in No one knows when he'll kick in , or He finally kicked off yesterday . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s] Also see kick the bucket .

  3. Begin to operate, as in Finally the motor kicked in and we could get started . This usage was first recorded in 1908.

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.

Singapore's civil aviation authority also said it is postponing a green jet fuel levy which was due to kick in from April 2026, due to the impact of the Iran war.

From BBC

Duong made sure his health coverage had kicked in before getting care.

From Los Angeles Times

In negotiating player benefits, it was important to know that if they kicked in after three years or later, many players wouldn’t receive them.

From The Wall Street Journal

The reductions kicked in at midnight last night meaning fuel leaving depots from then onwards was subject to the lower excise rates.

From BBC

She says it was "bit of a kick in the teeth" having to relocate from her home town because of housing.

From BBC

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.