Slang dictionary
kickin’ it
[ kik-in it ]
What does kickin' it mean?聽
If someone is kickin’ it, they essentially mean they’re hanging out with no planned activities. Kickin’ it as slang became popular in the 1990s. This is not to be confused with another usage of kicking, which implies someone is kicking a bad habit or addiction, i.e., stopping it.聽
Where does kickin’ it come from?
Kickin’ it began as African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and saw widespread usage in the 1990s. The exact origins of this slang term are obscure, but it’s potentially derived from “kicking back,” describing the physical act of relaxing and “kicking” one’s feet up on a desk or ottoman. In fact, R&B group Xscape released a song in 1993 called “Just Kickin’ It,” which referenced kicking off your shoes and relaxing your feet to “kick it.” Other sources indicate that the modern sense of kickin’ it may also come from the meaning of “playing music well,” similar to “rockin’ it.”聽
Examples of kickin’ it
Who uses kickin’ it?
Kickin’ it was predominantly used by kids and young adults in the ’90s to reference hanging out. The phrase was also used in song lyrics during this era. These days, the term has fallen out of favor in place of “chilling” and even “vibing.”
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of kickin’ it like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of kickin’ it that will help our users expand their word mastery.