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It seems like 'kickoff' should be able to function as an adjective, like in the following sentence:

The kick-off event was a 90-minute lecture by Bill Gates.

However, I can't find any dictionaries that list it as an adjective. It seems to be listed only as a noun.

My question is, therefore, can 'kickoff' be an adjective?

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    It can be an attributive noun - see this question.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Jan 31, 2023 at 9:36
  • If an attributive noun and regular noun pair are used frequently in conversation, they begin to pick up a meaning of thier own. Example: mushroom cloud.
    – Walter Mitty
    Commented Jan 31, 2023 at 11:23
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    Most English words can be used in the role of many different "Parts of Speech", especially in informal contexts. Dictionaries only normally list the most common usages for a word, but almost every noun can be used "attributively" even if it doesn't happen often.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jan 31, 2023 at 13:00
  • English has millions of Noun Compounds like pony ride, snake bite, dog collar, fish smell, where both nouns have a particular meaning relation with each other. But nouns can and often do modify other nouns. The "Parts of Speech" taught in schools are for Latin and not English, which has sportier accoutrements.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Feb 1, 2023 at 17:27

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Thuogh sometime referred to as an adjective, kick-off in the usage you are showing is more properly an attributive noun:

Attributive here means "joined directly to a noun in order to describe it."

So what distinguishes attributive nouns from adjectives? The categorization can be tricky, but here are two general rules:

  1. An attributive noun can only modify a noun when it comes immediately before it: It's a business meeting, not a meeting that is business.

  2. Attributive nouns don't have comparative forms, but many adjectives do: One building can be taller or more impressive than another, but it can't be more apartment than another.

(MerrianWebster.com)

From the Grammarist:

Kick-off is also an adjective that describes a noun that comes first. It can be something in a sports event, meeting, seminar, etc.

  • The kick-off event was a 90-minute lecture by Bill Gates.

From: writingexplained.org:

As an adjective, kickoff describes something that comes first, whether the first play in a sporting event, the first seminar in a professional conference, or many other things.

  • Jen and Mark threw a kick-off party to celebrate their son’s first game in the NFL.
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