2 COLOUR Something that is khaki is greenish brown in colour. □ He was dressed in khaki trousers.
kHz kHz is a written abbreviation for kilohertz . It is often written on radios beside a range of numbers to help you find a particular radio station.
kib|butz /k I bʊ ts/ (kibbutzim /k I bʊtsiː m/) N‑COUNT A kibbutz is a place of work in Israel, for example a farm or factory, where the workers live together and share all the duties and income.
kick ◆◆◇ /k I k/ (kicks , kicking , kicked )
1 VERB If you kick someone or something, you hit them forcefully with your foot. □ [V n] He kicked the door hard. □ [V ] He threw me to the ground and started to kick. □ [V n with adj] He escaped by kicking open the window. □ [V n + in ] The fiery actress kicked him in the shins. □ [V n + to ] An ostrich can kick a man to death. ● N‑COUNT Kick is also a noun. □ [+ to ] He suffered a kick to the knee.
2 VERB When you kick a ball or other object, you hit it with your foot so that it moves through the air. □ [V n] I went to kick the ball and I completely missed it. □ [V n with adv] He kicked the ball away. □ [V n prep] A furious player kicked his racket into the grandstand. ● N‑COUNT Kick is also a noun. □ [+ from ] After just one kick from England, the referee blew his whistle.
3 VERB If you kick or if you kick your legs, you move your legs with very quick, small, and forceful movements, once or repeatedly. □ [V ] They were dragged away struggling and kicking. □ [V n] First he kicked the left leg, then he kicked the right. □ [V n adv/prep] He kicked his feet away from the window. [Also V prep] ● PHRASAL VERB Kick out means the same as kick . □ [V P ] As its rider tried to free it, the horse kicked out.
4 VERB If you kick your legs, you lift your legs up very high one after the other, for example when you are dancing. □ [V n] He was kicking his legs like a Can Can dancer. □ [V n adj] She begins dancing, kicking her legs high in the air.
5 VERB If you kick a habit, you stop doing something that is bad for you and that you find difficult to stop doing. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] She's kicked her drug habit and learned that her life has value.
6 N‑SING If something gives you a kick , it makes you feel very excited or very happy for a short period of time. [INFORMAL ] □ I got a kick out of seeing my name in print.
7 PHRASE If you say that someone kicks 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 kick Jimmy when he was down.
8 PHRASE If you say that someone does something for kicks , you mean that they do it because they think it will be exciting. [INFORMAL ] □ They made a few small bets for kicks.
9 PHRASE If you say that someone is dragged kicking 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. [EMPHASIS ] □ [+ into ] He had to be dragged kicking and screaming into action.
10 PHRASE If you describe an event as a kick in the teeth , you are emphasizing that it is very disappointing and upsetting. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ This is another kick in the teeth for small businesses in the UK.
11 PHRASE You use kick yourself in expressions such as I could have kicked myself and you're going to kick yourself to indicate that you were annoyed or are going to be annoyed that you got something wrong. [FEELINGS ] □ I was still kicking myself for not paying attention.
12 alive and kicking → see alive
13 to kick up a fuss → see fuss
▸ kick around PHRASAL VERB If you kick around ideas or suggestions, you discuss them informally. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n P ] We kicked a few ideas around. □ [V P n] They started to kick around the idea of an electric scraper.
▸ kick back PHRASAL VERB If you kick back , you relax. [mainly AM , INFORMAL ] □ [V P ] As soon as they've finished up, they kick back and wait for the next show.
▸ kick down or kick in PHRASAL VERB If someone kicks something down or if they kick it in , they hit it violently with their foot so that it breaks or falls over. □ [V P n] She was forced to kick down the front door. [Also V n P ]
▸ kick in
1 PHRASAL VERB If something kicks in , it begins to take effect. □ [V P ] As discounts kicked in, bookings for immediate travel rose by 15%.
2 PHRASAL VERB If someone kicks in a particular amount of money, they provide that amount of money to help pay for something. [AM ] □ [V P n] Kansas City area churches kicked in $35,000 to support the event.
3 → see also kick down
▸ kick off
1 PHRASAL VERB In football, when the players kick off , they start a game by kicking the ball from the centre of the pitch. □ [V P ] Liverpool kicked off an hour ago.
2 PHRASAL VERB If an event, game, series, or discussion kicks off , or is kicked off , it begins. □ [V P ] The shows kick off on October 24th. □ [V P n] The Mayor kicked off the party. □ [V P + with ] We kicked off with a slap-up dinner. [Also V n P ]
3 PHRASAL VERB If you kick off your shoes, you shake your feet so that your shoes come off. □ [V P n] She stretched out on the sofa and kicked off her shoes. [Also V n P ]