(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
If you ~ someone or something, you hit them forcefully with your foot.
He ~ed the door hard...
He threw me to the ground and started to ~...
He escaped by ~ing open the window...
The fiery actress ~ed him in the shins...
An ostrich can ~ a man to death.
VERB: V n, V, V n with adj, V n in n, V n to n
•
Kick is also a noun.
He suffered a ~ to the knee.
N-COUNT
2.
When you ~ a ball or other object, you hit it with your foot so that it moves through the air.
I went to ~ the ball and I completely missed it...
He ~ed the ball away...
A furious player ~ed his racket into the grandstand.
VERB: V n, V n with adv, V n prep
•
Kick is also a noun.
Schmeichel swooped to save the first ~ from Borisov.
N-COUNT
3.
If you ~ or if you ~ your legs, you move your legs with very quick, small, and forceful movements, once or repeatedly.
They were dragged away struggling and ~ing...
First he ~ed the left leg, then he ~ed the right...
He ~ed his feet away from the window.
VERB: V, V n, V n adv/prep, also V prep
•
Kick out means the same as ~ .
As its rider tried to free it, the horse ~ed out.
PHRASAL VERB: V P
4.
If you ~ your legs, you lift your legs up very high one after the other, for example when you are dancing.
He was ~ing his legs like a Can Can dancer...
She begins dancing, ~ing her legs high in the air.
VERB: V n, V n adj
5.
If you ~ a habit, you stop doing something that is bad for you and that you find difficult to stop doing. (INFORMAL)
She’s ~ed her drug habit and learned that her life has value...
VERB: V n
6.
If something gives you a ~, it makes you feel very excited or very happy for a short period of time. (INFORMAL)
I got a ~ out of seeing my name in print.
N-SING: a N
7.
If you say that someone ~s you when you are down, you think they are behaving unfairly because they are attacking you when you are in a weak position.
In the end I just couldn’t ~ Jimmy when he was down.
PHRASE: V inflects
8.
If you say that someone does something for ~s, you mean that they do it because they think it will be exciting. (INFORMAL)
They made a few small bets for ~s.
PHRASE: PHR after v
9.
If you say that someone is dragged ~ing and screaming into a particular course of action, you are emphasizing that they are very unwilling to do what they are being made to do.
He had to be dragged ~ing and screaming into action.
PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR into n/-ing emphasis
10.
If you describe an event as a ~ in the teeth, you are emphasizing that it is very disappointing and upsetting. (INFORMAL)
We’ve been struggling for years and it’s a real ~ in the teeth to see a new band make it ahead of us.
= setback
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, PHR after v emphasis
11.
You use ~ yourself in expressions such as I could have ~ed myself and you’re going to ~ yourself to indicate that you were annoyed or are going to be annoyed that you got something wrong.
I was still ~ing myself for not paying attention...
PHRASE: V inflects feelings
12.
alive and ~ing: see alive
to ~ up a fuss: see fuss