KICKING AROUND Synonyms: 209 Similar and Opposite Words

kicking around

verb

present participle of kick around

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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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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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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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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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 In other words, the idea of turning roads into giant wireless chargers has been kicking around for years, and some projects are now producing encouraging results rather than just concept illustrations. — New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026 Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Mask has been kicking around Allure editors’ nightstands for years, and judging by its 2025 Readers’ Choice Award, plenty of you are just as hooked. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 6 Oct. 2026 Jac Schaeffer, that show's creator, was scheduled to helm this follow-up as well before bowing out of the Marvel machine, and VisionQuest has been kicking around in development for a bit. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026 If there had been a Season 2, Uziel was already kicking around some ideas. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kicking around

Verb

However, experts cautioned against considering ammonia a globally sustainable maritime fuel because its global fuel network is not yet fully developed.

— Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Patients considering care abroad should also research the clinic, the practitioner's training and experience, the products being used, emergency procedures and what follow-up care would be available if complications develop after returning home.

— Kristine Lazar, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of considering

Verb

Each has the perspective of attending East Side schools, playing football and returning to teach and coach at the high school.

— Tom Strong, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
The main reason the Giants have a chance to win every week, though, despite all their injuries and heart-stopping endings, is that Jameis Winston is playing well as their starting quarterback.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of playing

Verb

Today's Walmart Deals of the Day are all about kicking back with epic discounts on gear that give your relaxation routine a serious boost.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill and left guard Donovan Jackson immediately turned toward the sideline to motion for the medical team, with Murray lying on his side and his legs kicking back and forth.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of kicking back

Verb

The update comes on the heels of security footage from Clarkson’s visit to the store being released, showing Clarkson wandering the store for about five minutes, including a rather brief interaction with a shop employee.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
As the song played, people from neighboring studios, including hip-hop producers and other musicians, began wandering in.

— Alex Distefano, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of wandering

Verb

In an earlier episode, Pam confronts Grace’s mother about abusing her daughter and ends up bashing in the woman’s head with a meat tenderizer — which sounds like a pivotal moment but plays more like a side quest.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
The former owner of several unlicensed North Texas boarding homes pleaded guilty Monday to financially abusing and fatally neglecting elderly and disabled people in her care, according to court filings.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

For eight days in April, along the rocky coastline in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the new president of Georgetown University spent time at a Jesuit retreat center, quietly contemplating the task before him.

— Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
The offer came at a time when Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and many other public school districts in Florida, have closed or consolidated schools and are contemplating even more closures.

— Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 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

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kicking (about)

kicking around

kicking back

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“Kicking around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kicking%20around. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of kicking around

verb

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