" kickoff "

1: to take the first step in (a process or course of action);

  * e.g., " ... I'll kick off the discussion on ethics with this question "

•  Synonyms : 

•  begin,

•  commence,

•  embark (on or upon),

•  enter (into or upon),

•  fall (to),

•  get off,

•  launch,

•  lead off,

•  open,

•  start,

•  strike (into)

•  Antonyms : 

•  conclude,

•  end,

•  finish,

•  terminate

2: to stop living;

  * e.g., " ... surprisingly, the recluse was worth a cool million when he kicked off "

•  Synonyms : 

•  check out,

•  conk (out),

•  croak,

•  decease,

•  demise,

•  depart,

•  die,

•  drop,

•  end,

•  exit,

•  expire,

•  fall,

•  flatline,

•  go,

•  kick in,

•  part,

•  pass (on),

•  pass away,

•  peg out,

•  perish,

•  pop off,

•  step out,

•  succumb

•  Antonyms : 

•  breathe,

•  live

1: the point at which something begins;

  * e.g., " ... a political cycle in which an election marks not only the end of one campaign but also the kickoff for the next one "

•  Synonyms : 

•  alpha,

•  baseline,

•  beginning,

•  birth,

•  commencement,

•  dawn,

•  day one,

•  genesis,

•  get-go,

•  inception,

•  incipience,

•  incipiency,

•  launch,

•  morning,

•  nascence,

•  nascency,

•  onset,

•  outset,

•  start,

•  threshold

•  Antonyms : 

•  close,

•  conclusion,

•  end,

•  ending,

•  omega