From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishkickoffkick‧off /ˈkɪk-ɒf $ -ɒːf/ noun [countable usually singular] 1 START TO HAPPEN, EXIST ETCthe time when a football game starts, or the first kick of the game Kickoff is at 3.00.2 informalSTART TO HAPPEN, EXIST ETC the beginning of a new activity
Examples from the Corpus
kickoff• Visitors poured into Washington for the kickoff activities for the Presidential inauguration. 