Kick Out
phrasal verbBase kick out · Past kicked out · Past Participle kicked out · Present Participle kicking out · 3rd person kicks out
Definition
1. (phrasal verb) To force someone to leave a place, group, or organisation — usually because they did something wrong or are no longer wanted.
Context Alive
Your flatmate hasn't paid rent for three months and keeps leaving the kitchen in a disgusting state. You've talked to him about it twice and nothing has changed. Finally, you and your other flatmate sit him down and tell him he has to move out by the end of the month. You feel bad about it, but you can't keep covering his share. You basically kick him out, and within a week he's gone and the flat is already cleaner.
Meanings
1 meanings 1 To Force Someone to Leave (Phrasal Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about making someone leave a place or group against their will — removing them because of bad behaviour, breaking rules, or simply not being wanted anymore. Imagine a student who keeps disrupting the class, talking over the teacher, and refusing to sit down. After three warnings, the teacher kicks him out of the classroom and tells him to wait in the corridor. This is describing a forced removal that comes from someone with authority or power over the situation. You might say "the bouncer kicked them out for fighting" about people who were removed from a nightclub, or someone could say "she kicked him out of the house after she found out he'd been lying" about a partner who was told to leave the home. Or picture a football player who argues with the referee one too many times — the referee shows a red card and kicks him out of the match. The word suggests the removal is forceful, final, and usually deserved.
✏️ Kick out is separable — you can say "kick him out" or "kick out the troublemakers." It's blunter and more aggressive than "ask to leave" or "remove." Getting kicked out of school means being permanently expelled — a very serious consequence. In relationships, "she kicked him out" is one of the most common ways to describe a partner being told to leave the shared home after a breakup or fight.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
kick someone out → to force a specific person to leave
The manager kicked him out for shouting at the staff.
kick someone out of + place/group → specifies where the person is being removed from
He got kicked out of school for bringing a weapon.
get kicked out → passive — being forced to leave by someone else
She got kicked out of the bar for being too drunk.
Common Structures
kick someone out of the house → to tell a partner, family member, or flatmate to leave the home
She kicked him out of the house after she found the messages on his phone.
threaten to kick someone out → to warn someone they'll be removed if they don't change
The landlord threatened to kick us out if we didn't stop having loud parties.
kick out + noun (troublemakers / students) → removing a type of person rather than a named individual
The security guards kicked out the troublemakers before things got worse.
Collocations
10 collocationskick someone out of the house
to force a partner or family member to leave the home
kick someone out of school
to permanently expel a student
kick someone out of the bar/club
to remove someone from a venue for bad behaviour
get kicked out
to be forced to leave — the passive experience
kick out the troublemakers
to remove the people causing problems
threaten to kick out
to warn someone they'll be removed
kicked out for fighting
removed because of violent behaviour
kicked out of the band
removed from a music group — often due to personal conflicts
kicked out of the match
sent off during a sporting event for breaking the rules
kick someone out on the spot
to remove someone immediately, without warning
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
The bouncer kicked them out of the club for starting a fight on the dance floor.
The security guard threw them out of the nightclub for fighting.
2
She kicked him out of the house after she discovered he'd been lying for months.
She told him to leave the house after finding out he'd been dishonest for months.
3
He got kicked out of school in Year 10 and never went back.
He was expelled from school at fifteen and didn't return to education.
4
The landlord kicked us out because we were three months behind on rent.
The landlord forced us to move because we owed three months of unpaid rent.
5
The teacher kicked him out of the classroom for disrupting the lesson again.
The teacher sent him out of the room for interrupting the class for the second time.
6
They got kicked out of the restaurant for being too loud and bothering other customers.
They were asked to leave the restaurant because they were too noisy and disturbing other diners.
7
The band kicked out their drummer after he missed five rehearsals in a row.
The band removed their drummer after he skipped five consecutive practice sessions.
8
If you don't follow the rules, they'll kick you out — no second chances.
If you break the rules, they'll remove you immediately — there's no room for error.
9
She was kicked out of the library for talking on her phone too loudly.
She was told to leave the library because her phone conversation was disturbing everyone.
10
His parents kicked him out when he was eighteen and told him to find his own place.
His parents made him leave home at eighteen and said he needed to live independently.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsthrow out
equally informal and forceful — very similar in tone and usage
expel
more formal — the official term for removing someone from school or an organisation
evict
legal term — specifically used for forcing a tenant out of a rented property
Antonymswelcome
to invite someone in warmly — the opposite of forcing them out
admit
to allow someone to enter or join — the opposite of removing them
take in
to give someone a place to stay — the opposite of kicking them out