kick around
verb
kicked around; kicking around; kicks around
intransitive verb
1
: to wander or pass time aimlessly
2
a
: to lie about mostly unnoticed or forgotten
b
: to undergo consideration usually intermittently over a period of time
ideas that have been kicking around for years
transitive verb
1
: to treat in an inconsiderate or high-handed fashion
2
: to consider, examine, or discuss from various angles
Synonyms
- chew over
- cogitate
- consider
- contemplate
- debate
- deliberate
- entertain
- eye
- meditate
- mull (over)
- perpend
- ponder
- pore (over)
- question
- revolve
- ruminate
- study
- think (about or over)
- turn
- weigh
- wrestle (with)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office I really can't do much but kick around at work until I get the rest of the submissions.
Recent Examples on the Web Earlier this week, Sterling joined her mom at a KC Current practice, where Brittany brought her daughter onto the field to kick around a soccer ball. 
Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2022 For the latter occasion, Kate wore a flowy midi dress from L.K. Bennett with a pair of lace-up espadrille wedges to kick around a soccer ball. Alex Warner, PEOPLE.com, 28 June 2022 Watch these adorable little goats bounce and kick around! Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 17 May 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 Her impact stretches from Canada to Portland to all corners of the globe where young girls kick around a soccer ball. oregonlive, 8 Apr. 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 See More
Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2022 For the latter occasion, Kate wore a flowy midi dress from L.K. Bennett with a pair of lace-up espadrille wedges to kick around a soccer ball. Alex Warner, PEOPLE.com, 28 June 2022 Watch these adorable little goats bounce and kick around! Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 17 May 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 Her impact stretches from Canada to Portland to all corners of the globe where young girls kick around a soccer ball. oregonlive, 8 Apr. 2022 Notice how all of the elements now appear to float in 3D space, particularly that basketball (which players can kick around). Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1839, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
kicks around
verb
1
as in debates
to give serious and careful thought to the board spent the afternoon kicking around the feasibility of opening an overseas office Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- debates
- contemplates
- studies
- entertains
- ponders
- perpends
- considers
- questions
- chews over
- eyes
- looks at
- chews on
- weighs
- explores
- reviews
- cogitates
- analyzes
- wrestles (with)
- mulls (over)
- ruminates
- meditates
- deliberates
- thinks (about or over)
- revolves
- cudgels one's brains (about)
- beats one's brains out (about)
- pores (over)
- turns
- digests
- reasons
- reminisces
- reflects (on or upon)
- muses (upon)
- believes
- obsesses (about or over)
- broods (about or over)
- concludes
- frets (about or over)
- fixates (on or upon)
- speculates (about)
- dwells (on or upon)
- opines
- absorbs
- conceives
- drinks (in)
- assimilates
- second-guesses
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ignores
- disregards
- overlooks
- rejects
- dismisses
- slights
- poohs
- pooh-poohs
2
as in fools around
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- fools around
- plays
- fribbles
- hangs about
- messes around
- goofs (around)
- fiddles (around)
- doodles
- potters (around)
- putters (around)
- trifles
- monkeys (around)
- horses around
- lounges
- dillydallies
- hangs (around or out)
- loafs
- idles
- dawdles
- clowns (around)
- tinkers
- lolls
- diddles (with)
- dallies
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sets (to)
- settles (down)
- buckles (down)
- knuckles down
3
as in kicks back
to spend time doing nothing spent the afternoon kicking around, while his wife bought out the mall Synonyms & Similar Words
- kicks back
- kills time
- hangs about
- lounges
- bums
- lazies
- chills
- plays
- rests
- hacks (around)
- lazes
- goofs (off)
- hangs (around or out)
- footles
- veges out
- twiddles one's thumbs
- strolls
- dillydallies
- loafs
- drones
- relaxes
- dawdles
- idles
- pokes
- vegges out
- messes
- mucks
- estivates
- monkeys
- lingers
- lolls
- fiddles (around)
- dallies
- fools
- potters (around)
- putters (around)
- aestivates
- hibernates
- lags
- goldbricks
- trifles
- piddles
- loiters
- saunters
- dozes
- swans
- ambles
- moseys
- truants
- furloughs
- malingers
- tarries
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- works
- slaves
- buckles (down)
- plows
- labors
- toils
- pegs
- plugs
- grinds
- hustles
- humps
- plods
- sweats
- applies
- moils
- grubs
- travails
- puts out
- drudges
- exerts
4
as in roams
to move about from place to place aimlessly after spending a year in Europe kicking around, the backpacker was ready to return home Synonyms & Similar Words
- roams
- wanders
- drifts
- galavants
- knocks (about)
- strolls
- cruises
- floats
- maunders
- ranges
- gads (about)
- traipses
- meanders
- roves
- bats
- rambles
- gallivants
- mooches
- saunters
- ambles
- gypsies
- mills (about or around)
- vagabonds
- dawdles
- hobos
- straggles
- mopes
- strays
- tramps
5
as in abuses
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon children who were raised by an alcoholic father who regularly kicked them around Synonyms & Similar Words
- abuses
- bullies
- takes apart
- messes over
- ill-treats
- tortures
- violates
- ill-uses
- hurts
- injures
- misuses
- oppresses
- mistreats
- manhandles
- brutalizes
- maltreats
- persecutes
- mishandles
- outrages
- torments
- harms
- harasses
- works (over)
- molests
- wrongs
- beats (up)
- victimizes
- sandbags
- burns
- roughs (up)
- messes (up)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- cares (for)
- fosters
- caters (to)
- cherishes
- nurtures
- babies
- favors
- indulges
- spoils
- gratifies
- pampers
- humors
- mollycoddles
- coddles
- free spool
- Free State
- Free Stater
- free tenement
- free thought
- free throw
- free throw lane
- free time
- free trade
- free trader
- free union
- free university
- free variable
- free variation
- free verse
- free verses
- free vibration
- free water
- free weights
- free wills
- free with
- free world
- free zone
- free-and-easiness
- free-associate