kicker

noun/ˈkɪkər/

Frequency rank: #8,496 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

an unexpected twist or surprising element that changes everything.

Illustration for the English word “kicker”

Example sentence

The real kicker was that he had already signed the contract before learning about the pay cut.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 8,401–8,500