[count] 1 a : an act of hitting someone or something with your foot
▪ He gave me a kick in the leg. ▪ If you give the machine a little kick, it should start working again. : a sudden forceful movement with your foot ▪ a karate kick
b : an act of hitting a ball with your foot
▪ a soccer kick ▪ a long kick in football — see also corner kick, dropkick, free kick, penalty kick, placekick 2 a : a sudden forceful movement — usually singular ▪ I felt the kick of the engine when it started. ▪ The rifle has a powerful kick.
b informal : a quality that produces a sudden powerful effect — usually singular ▪ The drink has a kick [=a strong effect from alcohol] to it. ▪ chili with a kick [=a very hot and spicy flavor] 3 informal : a feeling or source of pleasure
▪ She gets a kick out of watching old movies. [=she enjoys watching old movies] ▪ I got a kick out of seeing her again. = Seeing her again was a kick. ▪ We play for kicks [=for enjoyment], not for money. ▪ He gets his kicks from embarrassing his teammates. [=he enjoys embarrassing his teammates] 4 informal — used with on to say that someone is doing a lot of something for usually a brief period of time ▪ He's been on a health-food kick lately. [=he has been eating a lot of health food lately] 5 : an increase in speed at the end of the race
▪ a runner who has a strong finishing kick