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hit
[ hit ]
/ hɪt /
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verb (used with object), hit, hit·ting.
to deal a blow or stroke to: Hit the nail with the hammer.
to come against with an impact or collision, as a missile, a flying fragment, a falling body, or the like: The car hit the tree.
to reach with a missile, a weapon, a blow, or the like, as one throwing, shooting, or striking: Did the bullet hit him?
to succeed in striking: With his final shot he hit the mark.
Baseball.
- to make (a base hit): He hit a single and a home run.
- bat1 (def. 11).
to drive or propel by a stroke: to hit a ball onto the green.
to have a marked effect or influence on; affect severely: We were all hit by the change in management.
to assail effectively and sharply (often followed by out): The speech hits out at warmongering.
to request or demand of: He hit me for a loan.
to reach or attain (a specified level or amount): Prices are expected to hit a new low.The new train can hit 100 miles per hour.
to be published in or released to; appear in: When will this report hit the papers?What will happen when the story hits the front page?
to land on, arrive in, or go to: The troops hit the beach at 0800.When does Harry hit town?I’ve got plans to hit the club with my girls tonight.
to give (someone) another playing card, drink, portion, etc.: If the dealer hits me with an ace, I'll win the hand.Bartender, hit me again.
to come or light upon; meet with; find: to hit the right answer.
to agree with; suit exactly: I'm sure this purple shirt will hit Alfred's fancy.
to solve or guess correctly; come upon the right answer or solution: You've hit it!
to succeed in representing or producing exactly: to hit a likeness in a portrait.
Informal. to begin to travel on: Let's hit the road.What time should we hit the trail?
verb (used without object), hit, hit·ting.
to strike with a missile, a weapon, or the like; deal a blow or blows: The armies hit at dawn.
to come into collision (often followed by against, on, or upon): The door hit against the wall.
(of an internal-combustion engine) to ignite a mixture of air and fuel as intended: This jalopy is hitting on all cylinders.
to come or light (usually followed by upon or on): to hit on a new way.
noun
an impact or collision, as of one thing against another.
a stroke that reaches an object; blow.
a stroke of satire, censure, etc.: a hit at complacency.
Baseball. base hit.
Backgammon.
- a game won by a player after the opponent has thrown off one or more men from the board.
- any winning game.
a successful stroke, performance, or production; success: The play is a hit.
Slang. a dose of a narcotic drug.
Digital Technology.
- (in information retrieval) an instance of successfully locating an item of data, as in a database or on the internet: When I search for my name, I get lots of hits.
- an instance of accessing a website.
Slang. a killing, murder, or assassination, especially one carried out by criminal prearrangements.
Verb Phrases
hit off,
- to represent or describe precisely or aptly: In his new book he hits off the American temperament with amazing insight.
- to imitate, especially in order to satirize.
hit on, Slang. to make a sexual advance to: guys who hit on girls at social events.
hit out,
- to deal a blow aimlessly: a child hitting out in anger and frustration.
- to make a violent verbal attack: Critics hit out at the administration's new energy policy.
hit up, Slang.
- to ask to borrow money from: He hit me up for ten bucks.
- to inject a narcotic drug into a vein.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Idioms about hit
hit it off, Informal. to be congenial or compatible; get along; agree: We hit it off immediately with the new neighbors. My sister and Ellen never really hit it off.
hit or miss, without concern for correctness or detail; haphazardly: The paint job had been done hit or miss.
- to go out on the town; go nightclubbing: We'll hit the high spots when you come to town.
- to do something in a quick or casual manner, paying attention to only the most important or obvious facets or items: When I clean the house I hit the high spots and that's about all. This course will hit the high spots of ancient history.
hit the books, Slang. to study hard; cram.
hit the bottle, Slang. bottle1 (def. 8).
hit the high spots,
Origin of hit
First recorded before 1100; 1865–70, Americanismfor def. 5a; Middle English hitten,Old English hittan; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse hitta “to come upon (by chance), meet with”
OTHER WORDS FROM hit
hit·less, adjectivehit·ta·ble, adjectivehit·ter, nounnon·hit, noun
out·hit, verb (used with object), out·hit, out·hit·ting.self-hit·ting, adjectiveun·hit, adjectiveun·hit·ta·ble, adjectivewell-hit, adjective
Words nearby hit
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hit in a sentence
Return to the car and restart it, and the radio is now magically on channel 2, tormenting you with the lamest, er, greatest popular hits of our day.
Ford’s electric Mustang Mach-E is an important leap into the future|Dan Carney|February 12, 2021|Popular-ScienceStill, it’s unlikely that Popeyes’ pescatarian offering will come close to matching its big-clucking-deal hit.
Popeyes’ new fish sandwich is a muted sequel to the chicken sandwich blockbuster of 2019|Emily Heil|February 12, 2021|Washington PostLeonard said the NBA was putting “money over health,” a direct hit on the league’s values.
The NBA’s week of controversies show how hard life is outside of the bubble|Ben Golliver|February 12, 2021|Washington PostThe Driver twists, slamming the hit man’s head against one wall, then another.
She noted that categories normally known for brand licensing agreements — entertainment venues, sports, and experiential industries — have taken a hit due to the pandemic.
Hearst turns to first-party data to look for new brand licensing categories|Erika Wheless|February 10, 2021|DigidayThe most recent issue contains detailed instructions for building car bombs, and the magazine frequently draws up hit-lists.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEASTThe big slug happened to hit the suspect in the street, passing through his arm and then striking Police Officer Andrew Dossi.
I was friends with her drummer from Sleater-Kinney, and I met Carrie, and we just hit it off.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEASTWe hit it off amazingly well, and started a real friendship.
They were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.
Many of us had been hit by the balls, but a bruise or a graze of the skin was the worst consequence that had ensued.
He shut his fist and hit Butterface a weak but well intended right-hander on the nose.
The Giant of the North|R.M. BallantyneOne of the men seemed pretty bad, being hit in the head and in the body.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian HamiltonHe could hit upon no plan, and he couldn't muster confidence to turn in.
The Frenchman never withdrew his blade; but his very anxiety to make a hit was defeating itself.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
British Dictionary definitions for hit
hit
/ (hɪt) /
verb hits, hitting or hit (mainly tr)
(also intr) to deal (a blow or stroke) to (a person or thing); strikethe man hit the child
to come into violent contact withthe car hit the tree
to reach or strike with a missile, thrown object, etcto hit a target
to make or cause to make forceful contact; knock or bumpI hit my arm on the table
to propel or cause to move by strikingto hit a ball
cricket to score (runs)
to affect (a person, place, or thing) suddenly or adverselyhis illness hit his wife very hard
to become suddenly apparent to (a person)the reason for his behaviour hit me and made the whole episode clear
to achieve or reachto hit the jackpot; unemployment hit a new high
to experience or encounterI've hit a slight snag here
slang to murder (a rival criminal) in fulfilment of an underworld contract or vendetta
to accord or suit (esp in the phrase hit one's fancy)
to guess correctly or find out by accidentyou have hit the answer
informal to set out on (a road, path, etc)let's hit the road
informal to arrive or appear inhe will hit town tomorrow night
informal, mainly US and Canadian to demand or request fromhe hit me for a pound
slang to drink an excessive amount of (alcohol)to hit the bottle
hit it music slang start playing
hit skins US slang to have sexual intercourse
hit the sack or hit the hay slang to go to bed
not know what has hit one to be completely taken by surprise
noun
an impact or collision
a shot, blow, etc, that reaches its object
an apt, witty, or telling remark
informal
- a person or thing that gains wide appealshe's a hit with everyone
- (as modifier)a hit record
informal a stroke of luck
slang
- a murder carried out as the result of an underworld vendetta or rivalry
- (as modifier)a hit squad
slang a drag on a cigarette, a swig from a bottle, a line of a drug, or an injection of heroin
computing a single visit to a website
make a hit with or score a hit with informal to make a favourable impression on
Word Origin for hit
Old English hittan, from Old Norse hitta
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with hit
hit
In addition to the idioms beginning with hit
- hit a snag
- hit below the belt
- hit between the eyes
- hit bottom
- hit it big
- hit it off
- hit on
- hit on all cylinders
- hit one's stride
- hit one where one lives
- hit or miss
- hit out
- hit parade
- hit the books
- hit the bottle
- hit the bricks
- hit the bull's-eye
- hit the ceiling
- hit the deck
- hit the fan
- hit the ground running
- hit the hay
- hit the high spots
- hit the jackpot
- hit the mark
- hit the nail on the head
- hit the road
- hit the roof
- hit the sack
- hit the spot
- hit up for
- hit upon
also see:
- (hit) below the belt
- can't hit the broad side of a barn
- heavy hitter
- make a hit
- pinch hitter
- smash hit
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.