kick ass
Medium to HighInformal, Colloquial, Slang. Common in spoken language, movies, sports, and pop culture. Avoid in formal writing.
Definition
Meaning
To be extremely impressive, excellent, or effective; to defeat or dominate thoroughly.
To act with great energy, force, or success; to show exceptional capability or power. Also used as an adjectival phrase meaning 'excellent' or 'impressive'.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Originally aggressive/violent, now largely figurative with a positive, emphatic connotation of excellence or dominance. As a verb phrase, it is intransitive; the 'ass' is not a direct object but part of the idiom. The participial adjective 'kick-ass' is often hyphenated.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Phrase is understood in both varieties. Some alternative UK slang (e.g., 'kick arse') exists but 'kick ass' is dominant due to US media influence. The verb pattern 'kick ass and take names' is more distinctly American.
Connotations
Strongly associated with American confidence, bravado, and pop culture. In the UK, it retains a slight 'Americanism' feel but is fully naturalized in informal contexts.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent and native-feeling in American English. In the UK, it's common but may be perceived as more deliberately informal or borrowed.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] kicks ass (at [activity]).[Subject] is kick-ass.Let's go kick some ass!That [noun] is kick-ass.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “kick ass and take names (to act decisively and dominantly)”
- “a kick in the ass (a stimulus to action, different idiom)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare and highly informal. Possibly in motivational talks ('Our new strategy is going to kick ass!'), but unprofessional in reports.
Academic
Not used. Considered inappropriate slang.
Everyday
Very common in positive, emphatic descriptions of people, performances, events, or objects among friends and peers.
Technical
Not used in technical prose.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Our team really kicked ass in the finals last night.
- She's going to kick ass at her new job.
American English
- Let's go out there and kick some ass!
- This software kicks ass when it comes to editing videos.
adverb
British English
- They played kick-ass well.
- This car runs kick-ass fast.
American English
- She sings kick-ass loud.
- He cooks kick-ass good burgers.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- That new action film is really kick-ass!
- Our football team kicked ass yesterday.
- Her kick-ass presentation won over all the sceptical clients.
- You need a more kick-ass attitude to succeed in this competition.
- The startup's kick-ass marketing campaign disrupted the entire industry.
- After the training, he came back with a kick-ass determination to break his personal record.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a superhero who doesn't just fight villains, but does it so impressively that everyone agrees they 'kick ass' at being a hero.
Conceptual Metaphor
PHYSICAL DOMINANCE IS GENERAL EXCELLENCE (Defeating someone physically is metaphorically mapped onto being superior in any area).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid literal translation ('бить задницу'), which sounds crude and violent, not positive. The Russian phrase 'быть крутым' or 'рвать всех' captures the spirit better than a literal equivalent.
- Do not confuse with the idiom 'a kick in the ass' (пинок под зад), which means a jolt or motivation.
Common Mistakes
- Using it in formal writing. *'The quarterly results were kick-ass.'* (Incorrect register)
- Treating 'ass' as a direct object in a literal sense. *'He kicked the ass of his opponent.'* (This changes the meaning to literal violence, losing the idiomatic 'excellence' sense.)
- Overusing as an adjective, making speech sound forced or trying too hard to be 'cool'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would 'kick ass' be LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is informal slang and mildly vulgar due to 'ass'. It is generally not offensive among peers in casual settings but is inappropriate in formal, polite, or conservative company.
No, the idiom is fixed as 'kick ass'. 'Kick asses' would be interpreted literally (to physically kick multiple people) and is not the established idiom for expressing excellence.
They are similar informal synonyms for excellence. 'Kick ass' often implies forceful dominance or impressiveness, while 'rock' can imply coolness, reliability, or excellence in a slightly less aggressive way. 'This band rocks' vs. 'This band kicks ass' – the latter is more intense.
Use it hyphenated before a noun ('a kick-ass car') or sometimes after a linking verb ('That car is kick-ass'). It describes something as extremely good or effective.