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Synonyms

smash hit

American  

noun

  1. a person or thing that is overwhelmingly successful or popular.

    Both the play and the movie based on it were smash hits.
smash hit Idioms  

  1. An outstanding success, as in She was a smash hit in the role of the governess, or His first book was a smash hit but this one isn't doing well. [c. 1920]

Usage

What does smash hit mean? A smash hit is a wildly successful piece of media or entertainment, especially songs, movies and TV, and musicals. It’s broadened to refer to anything that’s very popular. How is smash hit pronounced?[ smash hit ]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Last year, Jepsen celebrated 10 years of her cult-favorite album “Emotion,” the follow-up to her 2012 smash hit “Call Me Maybe.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

The Netflix smash hit is the favourite to win two categories - best animated feature and best original song for Golden, performed by the movie's girl group Huntr/x.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

This time around, Song of the Year -- which honors songwriting -- is a crowded category that includes Carpenter's "Manchild" and "Golden" from the Netflix animated smash hit "KPop Demon Hunters."

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

The biggest addition, of course, is the conclusion of the smash hit sci-fi thriller “Stranger Things.”

From MarketWatch • Nov. 30, 2025

“Your pirate play will be a smash hit in the West End. The crystal ball don’t lie, honey. Your show is a hit! Or was. Or will be.”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.