Kick-step
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A dance move in which the dancer first kicks a foot in the air in front of the opposite leg (often while bending the knee slightly on that leg) and then puts the foot down shifting balance on to it.
- 2 A hiking technique for managing loose soil where the hiker first aggressively kicks the ground, digging a foothold, before shifting weight onto the foot.
"The kick-step she'd used to make steps out of the play area, was necessary to keep from sliding while walking across a slope."
- 1 To dance using a kick-step.
"2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text Arms draped on shoulders, kick-stepping in circles, they swing bottles of wine. Purpled thumbs cork the bottles. The wine leaps and jumps behind green glass."
- 2 To hike using a kick-step.
Example
More examples"The kick-step she'd used to make steps out of the play area, was necessary to keep from sliding while walking across a slope."
Etymology
From kick + step.
More for "kick-step"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.