kick ass

See also: kickass and kick-ass

English

Alternative forms

kick arse (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth)

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /kɪk æs/, [kʰɪk æs]
Audio (General Australian): (file)

Verb

kick ass (third-person singular simple present kicks ass, present participle kicking ass, simple past and past participle kicked ass)

(idiomatic, US, Canada, colloquial, vulgar) To win decisively.
Synonym: kick butt

Did you win? We didn't just win, we kicked ass.
(stative, idiomatic, US, Canada, colloquial, vulgar) To be very impressive.
Synonyms: rock, rule; see also Thesaurus:excel

The soundtrack to this film really kicks ass!
(informal, vulgar, ambitransitive) To beat to a pulp; beat up
Synonyms: kick butt, put foot to ass
- 1988, Roddy Piper, “John Nada”, in They Live:
  I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum.
- 2004 November 9, Bungie, Halo 2, spoken by Chips Dubbo (Andrew McKaige), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox, level/area: Delta Halo:
  Whoa... it's like a postcard! 'Dear Sarge: kicking ass in outer space, wish you were here.'

Usage notes

This is an Americanism but it is used in British and Australian English too.

Derived terms

kick-assery
kick (shortening)

Translations

to be very impressive

Chinese:
Mandarin: 厲害 / 厉害 (zh) (lìhài, lìhai), 牛屄 (zh) (niúbī) (vulgar)
Finnish: piestä (fi), löylyttää (fi)
French: cartonner (fr), déchirer (fr)
Italian: spaccare (it)
Japanese: すごい (ja) (sugoi), すさまじい (ja) (susamajii), ものすごい (ja) (monosugoi)
Korean: 대단한 (ko) (daedanhan)
Russian: показа́ть, на что ты спосо́бен/спосо́бна pf (pokazátʹ, na što ty sposóben/sposóbna) (male/female), впечатли́ть (ru) pf (vpečatlítʹ) (to impress), рули́ть (ru) impf (rulítʹ) (slang, "to rule, to rudder"), зажига́ть (ru) impf (zažigátʹ) (slang, "to fire up"), быть кла́ссным impf (bytʹ klássnym), быть охуи́тельным impf (bytʹ oxuítelʹnym) (vulgar), быть охуе́нным impf (bytʹ oxujénnym) (vulgar), быть невъебе́нным impf (bytʹ nevʺjebénnym) (vulgar)

to beat someone at something

Finnish: voittaa (fi), päihittää (fi)
Russian: победи́ть (ru) pf (pobedítʹ), поби́ть (ru) (pobítʹ), надра́ть за́дницу pf (nadrátʹ zádnicu), наваля́ть (ru) pf (navaljátʹ), отлупи́ть (ru) pf (otlupítʹ), дать дрозда́ pf (datʹ drozdá), отдуба́сить (ru) pf (otdubásitʹ), дать пизды́ pf (datʹ pizdý) (vulgar), дать пиздюле́й pf (datʹ pizdjuléj) (vulgar), наве́шать пиздюле́й pf (navéšatʹ pizdjuléj) (vulgar), вы́ебать (ru) pf (výjebatʹ) (vulgar), отхуя́рить (ru) pf (otxujáritʹ) (vulgar), отхуя́чить (ru) pf (otxujáčitʹ) (vulgar), отпи́здить (ru) pf (otpízditʹ) (vulgar)
Spanish: patear traseros

to beat someone in a fight

Azerbaijani: götbaş eləmək (vulgar)
Finnish: piestä (fi), löylyttää (fi)
French: botter le cul (fr), défoncer (fr), tabasser (fr)
Polish: zwyciężyć (pl) pf, pobić (pl) pf, zbić (pl) pf, spuścić wpierdol pf, wpierdolić pf (vulgar), spuścić manto (pl) pf, wpieprzyć pf, rozjebać (pl) pf (vulgar), wjebać pf (vulgar), załatwić (pl) pf, zmiażdżyć (pl) pf, rozłożyć na łopatki pf, powalić (pl) pf, znokautować (pl) pf, skopać dupę pf (vulgar), roznieść (pl) pf, skasować (pl) pf (slang), dać w ryj pf (rude), rozgromić (pl) pf, rozwalić (pl) pf, przemóc pf (literally), zetrzeć (pl) pf, zmóc pf (literally), złoić pf (literally), dać łupnia pf, spuścić łomot pf
Portuguese: cagar a pau
Russian: поби́ть (ru) (pobítʹ), наваля́ть (ru) pf (navaljátʹ), наве́шать (ru) pf (navéšatʹ), зада́ть жа́ру pf (zadátʹ žáru), надра́ть за́дницу pf (nadrátʹ zádnicu), поколоти́ть (ru) pf (pokolotítʹ), отлупи́ть (ru) pf (otlupítʹ), отдуба́сить (ru) pf (otdubásitʹ), дать дрозда́ pf (datʹ drozdá), дать пизды́ pf (datʹ pizdý) (vulgar), дать пиздюле́й pf (datʹ pizdjuléj) (vulgar), наве́шать пиздюле́й pf (navéšatʹ pizdjuléj) (vulgar), вы́ебать (ru) pf (výjebatʹ) (vulgar), отхуя́рить (ru) pf (otxujáritʹ) (vulgar), отхуя́чить (ru) pf (otxujáčitʹ) (vulgar), отпи́здить (ru) pf (otpízditʹ) (vulgar)

Interjection

kick ass

(sometimes vulgar, slang) Used to express happiness or a feeling of accomplishment.
Kick ass! I just got my friend to stop playing that stupid song!

Related terms

kick-ass