kicking around

verb

present participle of kick around
1
as in considering
to give serious and careful thought to the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office

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2
as in playing
to spend time in aimless activity I really can't do much but kick around at work until I get the rest of the submissions

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3
as in hanging (around or out)
to spend time doing nothing spent the afternoon kicking around, while his wife bought out the mall

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4
as in wandering
to move about from place to place aimlessly after spending a year in Europe kicking around, the backpacker was ready to return home

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5
as in abusing
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon children who were raised by an alcoholic father who regularly kicked them around

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kicking around The fantasy of a cultural architecture that’s as flexible as culture itself has been kicking around for more than 100 years, and there’s something obscurely disappointing about seeing a technocratic version get put into practice. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026 Within the venue gates but outside the stands, groups of friends were playing cornhole and having picnic dinners from food trucks parked onsite; older attendees were chatting and kids were kicking around mini soccer balls. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026 Some of the finer moments for Nemes in the studio were during rehearsals, when the band was just kicking around ideas and jamming. — Tina Eves, SPIN, 1 July 2026 All told, it’s been a pretty spectacular and drama-free rollout for an idea that had been kicking around Hollywood for over 15 years. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 18 June 2026 Husband and wife duo Cristina Marzolf and Matthew Marzolf, both 25, had been kicking around the concept of Press’d Cafe and Lounge, a family-friendly tropical escape that sells smoothies, juices and food for years. — Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026 There are a few great Star Wars arcade games still kicking around, but this one is my personal favorite. — Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 Odenkirk and Kolstad have begun kicking around ideas for extending the character into an ongoing franchise. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026 Although the likes of the Go Go’s and the Cars are present at times, the soundtrack as a whole seems too staid to provide a backdrop for ’80s kids kicking around in the heyday of punk. — Gina Friedlande, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicking around
  1. considering
  2. playing
  3. kicking back
  4. wandering
  5. abusing
  6. contemplating
  7. fooling around
  8. hanging about
Verb
  • That is meaningful for schools, considering that around 90% of the United States' 480,000 school buses run on diesel.
    — Willa Rubin, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Manish Tibrewal, co-founder of family office Farro Capital, said his firm has seen a sharp pickup in inquiries from Chinese families considering to relocate to Singapore.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of considering
Verb
  • The service got its name from the original Mechanical Turk, an 18th century chess-playing robot that was actually controlled by a human chess master.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • If your dog has any dental issues, playing any type of pulling game is not advisable.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of playing
Verb
  • And don’t forget to grab a few pieces for simply kicking back and relaxing.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Before the fire, patrons were kicking back cold ones about a block from Down the Hatch.
    — David Dickstein, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of kicking back
Verb
  • The announcement comes after video circulated online of Knight at recent performances, including a July 25 gig at the Hollywood Bowl, wandering around the stage, turning her back to the audience, and not singing on cue.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But more recently, cell phone videos taken by audience members at Knight performances, including one from a July 25 Hollywood Bowl concert, show the singer wandering the stage, her back to the audience and seeming to miss singing cues.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of wandering
Verb
  • Communities from Lansing, Michigan, to Pflugerville, Texas, are ending their relationship with Flock, largely over concerns regarding out-of-control surveillance, unwanted data sharing, high expenses, and reports of police abusing the tool.
    — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Countless cops, meanwhile, are abusing the cameras to stalk women.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • The central bank, meanwhile, is contemplating raising interest rates later this year, potentially issuing its first hike since 2023.
    — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier, writer-director Lanctôt won two prizes at Venice in 1984 for her first feature, Sonatine, about two teenage girls contemplating suicide.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of contemplating
Verb
  • Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.
    — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of fooling around
Verb
  • President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October.
    — Elliott Harrell, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Definition of hanging about

Browse Nearby Words

kicking (about)
kicking around
kicking back
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Cite this Entry

“Kicking around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicking%20around. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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