Kick off means to start or to begin something (a match, an event, a project, a meeting). In football, the kick-off is the first kick of the ball that starts the game, and at work or in everyday life the phrase is used for the start of any event: The meeting kicked off at ten. The second meaning is “kick someone off”: to make someone leave, for example a team or a flight.
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kick off (at + time); kick off with + noun; kick off + event with + noun; kick someone off + team/flight
- The final kicks off at eight, so we're meeting at the bar at half past seven.
- We kicked off the workshop with a short quiz to get everyone talking.
- Two passengers were kicked off the flight for shouting at the crew.
What changed
First versionThe conference will kick off from a short speech by the director.
RevisionThe conference will kick off with a short speech by the director.
“From” can look right, because the speech is where the conference starts. But the first item on a programme is introduced with “with”: “kick off with”, “start with”. With “kick off”, “from” names the starting point of a route: The tour kicks off from the main square. For the director's speech, you need “with”.
“Kick someone off” + a team or a vehicle means to remove someone and take away their place: He was kicked off the team for missing training. This is not about starting; on the contrary, the person stops taking part. It sounds informal: in an official letter, you would write “was removed from”.
Your turn
The festival ___ on Friday with a free concert in the park.
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kicks off — For the planned start of a festival or a celebration, you say “kicks off”. “Breaks out” describes something that starts suddenly and against people's will: a fire, a war, a fight.
Describe the start of an event you took part in: a conference, a celebration or your first day at a new job. Say when it started and what it started with.
My first day at the new company kicked off at nine with coffee and a tour of the office.
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