kick some tires

verb

To shop for a vehicle or other item to purchase or in which to invest.

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Meanings

verbkick some tires (third-person singular simple present kicks some tires, present participle kicking some tires, simple past and past participle kicked some tires)

present singular third person kicks some tires · participle present kicking some tires · participle past kicked some tires · past kicked some tires

  1. colloquialidiomaticTo shop for a vehicle or other item to purchase or in which to invest.

    Kick some tires. What is the fund’s expense ratio, and how does it compare with those of its peers?

    2001, Brian O’Connell, Bill Griffeth, CNBC creating wealth: an investor’s guide to decoding the market, →ISBN, page 181
    1 more example

    ... on standard equipment, options, warranties, safety equipment, fuel-economy ratings and – of course – prices, so you can go kick some tires in confidence.

    1993, Road & Track, volume 45, page 142

Origin

See kick the tires.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

kick some tires. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20some%20tires

MLA

“kick some tires.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20some%20tires. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kick some tires,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20some%20tires.

Source: kick some tires on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.