kick out

make someone leave a place, group, or organisation

B2

What does "kick sb out" mean?

To kick someone out means to force them to leave a place, group, or organisation, usually because they have broken rules or done something unacceptable. The person doing the kicking out is typically an authority figure — a landlord, a school, a club, a manager — and the removal is sudden and definitive rather than gradual. There is a clear punitive tone: the person being kicked out has done something wrong, and someone with power has decided they can no longer stay. This phrasal verb is informal and conversational, so you will hear it in everyday speech and casual writing, but in a formal letter or official document you would use 'expel', 'evict', or 'dismiss' instead. It can describe removal from physical spaces like a bar or a house, and also from institutions or groups like a team, a university, or a political party.

Examples

How to use it

kick + object + out of + place/organisation

The most common structure, used when you want to name the place or group the person is removed from.

The club kicked him out of the league after he was caught cheating.

be kicked out of + place/organisation

The passive is extremely common — often more natural than the active — and focuses on the person who was expelled rather than who expelled them.

She was kicked out of university for repeatedly missing her exams.

kick + pronoun + out

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle — this is not optional.

He kept starting arguments with the other guests, so the host kicked him out.

kick out + noun phrase

With longer noun phrases, the object typically follows the particle rather than being inserted between verb and particle.

The committee voted to kick out any members who failed to pay their annual fees.

get kicked out (of + place/organisation)

This construction is very common in informal speech and emphasises the experience of being expelled from the person's perspective.

If you get kicked out of the team for this, don't say I didn't warn you.

Common Collocations

kicked out of schoolkicked out of the housekicked out of the teamkicked out of the clubget kicked outkicked out of the country

Common Mistakes

Pronoun placement

When the object is a pronoun like 'him', 'her', or 'them', it must go between 'kick' and 'out'. Putting the pronoun after the particle is ungrammatical in English.

✗ The manager kicked out him after the incident.
✓ The manager kicked him out after the incident.
Confusing 'kick out' with 'walk out'

'Kick out' describes being forced to leave by someone else, while 'walk out' means choosing to leave yourself. The two are opposite in meaning and cannot be swapped.

✗ She was unhappy with the working conditions, so she was kicked out.
✓ She was unhappy with the working conditions, so she walked out.
Using it in formal writing

'Kick out' is informal and sounds out of place in formal or professional contexts. Use 'expel', 'evict', or 'dismiss' instead when the situation calls for a more official tone.

✗ The board resolved to kick out the director following the investigation.
✓ The board resolved to dismiss the director following the investigation.

Usage

'Kick out' is informal — in formal writing or speech, use 'expel', 'evict', or 'dismiss' instead. It is followed by 'of' when you mention the place or group the person is removed from.

Frequently Asked Questions

What preposition do I use after 'kick out'?

Almost always 'of' — for example, 'kicked out of school', 'kicked out of the house', 'kicked out of the team'. You name the place or group that the person was removed from using 'of'. You don't need to add any preposition if you don't mention the place at all, for example: 'He kept causing trouble, so they kicked him out.'

Is 'was kicked out' really more common than the active form?

Yes — in natural speech and informal writing, the passive 'was kicked out' or 'got kicked out' is arguably the most frequent pattern. This is because people often talk about the experience of being expelled from the point of view of the person removed, rather than focusing on whoever made the decision. Both active and passive are perfectly correct.

Can 'kick out' describe being removed from an online group or community?

Yes, the phrasal verb has extended naturally to online contexts. You can say someone was kicked out of a group chat, a forum, or an online community. The informal tone fits well with the casual language often used in these contexts.

Does 'kick out' always imply that the person did something wrong?

Usually, yes — there is typically an implied reason such as breaking rules, causing trouble, or behaving badly. The tone is punitive: someone in authority has decided the person can no longer stay. If the removal is more gradual or political, 'pushed out' would be a better choice.

Can I use 'kick out' in the present continuous, like 'they are kicking him out'?

It's possible but slightly unusual. The present continuous works if the action is literally happening at that moment ('Security are kicking him out right now'), but in most everyday situations you would use the simple past or present perfect instead. The future continuous ('will be kicking out') sounds unnatural and is best avoided.

Related Phrasal Verbs

throw sb out

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