# kicker

/ˈkɪkɝ/ (US) · /kˈɪkɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/kicker
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. person who kicks

noun · CEFR A2

a person who kicks something, especially a player in sports like football who kicks the ball.

For teachers: a person or player who kicks; specifically, a specialist in American football responsible for placekicking.

- The team's kicker won the game with a field goal in the final seconds.
- The coach decided to replace the starting kicker after he missed three consecutive attempts from within the thirty-yard line.

### 2. unexpected twist

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

an unexpected fact or event that changes a situation, often at the end of a story.

For teachers: an unexpected circumstance, detail, or consequence that serves as a clincher or a surprise ending.

- The car was cheap and in great condition, but here is the kicker: it has no engine.
- The contract seemed perfect at first glance, but the real kicker was the hidden clause regarding early termination fees.

### 3. poker card

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a card in your hand that is not part of a pair but is used to decide who wins if there is a tie.

For teachers: an unpaired card held by a player that does not contribute to the rank of the hand but is used to break ties between hands of the same rank.

- Both players had a pair of aces, but John won because his kicker was a king.
- In high-stakes Texas Hold'em, many players lose significant pots by overvaluing top pair when they have a weak kicker.

### 4. journalism heading

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a short line of text above a main headline that gives the topic of the article.

For teachers: a short, often provocative line of type placed above the main headline of a newspaper or magazine article.

- The editor added a clever kicker above the headline to grab the readers' attention.
- The layout artist suggested using a bold red font for the kicker to distinguish the opinion piece from the hard news stories.

### 5. financial incentive

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

an extra benefit added to a deal to make it more attractive to investors.

For teachers: an added feature or right attached to a debt instrument or investment to make it more enticing to a lender or investor.

- The company offered a stock kicker to encourage people to buy their bonds.
- To secure the necessary venture capital, the startup offered an equity kicker that would trigger upon the company reaching its third-quarter milestones.

### 6. outboard motor

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a small extra motor on the back of a boat used for steering or as a backup.

For teachers: a small auxiliary outboard motor used for trolling or as emergency backup power on a boat.

- When the main engine failed, we had to use the kicker to get back to the dock.
- The fisherman spent the afternoon trolling slowly across the lake, using only the quiet kicker to avoid scaring the fish.

## Examples

- The car was cheap, but the kicker was the expensive insurance.
- He offered me a great salary, but here is the kicker: I have to move to another country next week.
- The legal team thought they had won the case on a technicality, but the real kicker came when the prosecution produced a previously unknown witness at the final hour.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.