Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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.

The Hollywood actor is no stranger to gaming however, having played the leading role of Johnny Silverhand in the smash hit Cyberpunk 2077.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 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

Tesfaye had been understandably angry that his smash hit 2019 single “Blinding Lights, off 2020’s “After Hours,” whiffed on nominations, and blamed the Grammys’ opacity around voting.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025

When it finally was, I was hopeful enough to think it might be a smash hit.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

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.