Definition

1. Noun:

   • A kick in football: A dropkick is a type of kick used in sports like American football or rugby. The player drops the ball from their hands and kicks it at the moment, or just after, it touches the ground.

2. Verb:

   • To perform a dropkick: To drop and kick (a ball) as it touches the ground.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The player scored three points with a perfect dropkick.
  • In the early days of football, the dropkick was a more common way to score.

• Verb:

  • The quarterback attempted to dropkick the ball for an extra point.
  • He practiced for hours to learn how to dropkick accurately.

Advanced Usage

• The term is most commonly associated with American football and rugby union/football. Its use and rules differ between these sports.
• In modern American football, the dropkick is a rare and specialized play, famously used by Doug Flutie in 2006 for an extra point.

Variants and Related Words

• Drop-kick: A common hyphenated spelling variant of the noun and verb.
• Placekick (n): A different type of kick where the ball is kicked from a stationary position on the ground or from a tee.
• Punt (n): A kick where the ball is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground.

Synonyms

• (Noun/Verb) Kick: A general term for striking something with the foot.

Related Phrases

• Dropkick (slang): In informal Australian/British slang, "dropkick" can be a derogatory term for a foolish or useless person. This is a separate, idiomatic usage.
  • Don't listen to him, he's a total dropkick.

Noun

1. (football) kicking (as for a field goal) in which the football is dropped and kicked as it touches the ground

Verb

1. drop and kick (a ball) as it touches the ground, as for a field goal
2. make the point after a touchdown with a dropkick