Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to kick about

to kick about

8.3
To stay alive or active when people think you will not
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
: seguir vivo
  • Even though he's in his nineties, Grandpa still kicks about and enjoys his daily walks.

Examples

  • Some of those vintage cars are still kicking about in collectors' garages.

  • There are quite a few old traditions that still kick about in this town.

  • Don't count him out; he might still kick about!

  • My grandfather continues to kick about despite his age.

  • Even though he's in his nineties, Grandpa still kicks about and enjoys his daily walks.

  • Don't count him out; he might still kick about during the match!

  • My grandfather continues to kick about despite his age.

Synonyms

to kick around
vsto kick about
  • Informal
6 7.1

Be alive or still active after a long time

is used when survival is surprising or expected to end
to knock about
vsto kick about
  • UK
8.2

To still be around in a place or situation

is used when continued existence is notable or unexpected

Antonyms

to die
∞ 1.0

To stop living and no longer be alive

How Alive

to thrive
241 3.2
to kick about
  • UK
8.3
to survive
∞ 2.7
to die
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

kick about infinitive
kicked about past
kicked about past participle
kicking about present participle
kicks about third person singular

Morphology

kick + about

The sense 'to remain alive or active' is loosely built from 'kick' via the idiom 'still kicking' (alive) combined with 'about' meaning 'around', so there is a recognisable metaphorical link to the constituents. However, the life/active sense of 'kick' in this construction is an idiomatic extension and not fully predictable from the literal meanings, so a B1 learner who only knows the basic senses may not reliably infer it.

Etymology

The phrasal verb kick about comes from the simple picture of a ball people still kick about in a yard; if the ball keeps moving and is still there, the phrase came to mean 'to remain alive or active'.