hit
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /hɪt/
rhymes: -ɪt
Forms: form: hits
form: hitting
form: hit
form: hat
form: het
form: hit
form: hat
form: het
form: hitten
Etymology: From Middle English hitten (“to hit, strike, make contact with”), from Old English hittan (“to meet with, come upon, fall in with”), from Old Norse hitta (“to strike, meet”), from Proto-Germanic *hittijaną (“to come upon, find”), from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- (“to fall; fall upon; hit; cut; hew”).
Cognates
Cognate with Danish hitte (“to find”), Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish hitta (“to meet”), Norwegian Nynorsk hitta, hitte (“to meet; to find”), Latin caedō (“to kill”), Albanian qit (“to hit, throw, pull out, release”).
Senses: examples: text: One boy hit the other.
text: Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
ref: 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
text: He tried to hit me but I dodged the blow and went out to plot revenge.
ref: 1922-1927, Frank Harris, My Life and Loves:
text: Bello: (Shouts) Good, by the rumping jumping general! That's the best bit of news I heard these six weeks. Here, don't keep me waiting, damn you! (He slaps her face)
Bello: (Whimpers) You're after hitting me. I'll tell[…]
ref: 1922 February, James Joyce, “[[Episode 15]]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
text: I hunted him for half a hour, aiming to learn him to hit a man with a table-leg and then run, but I didn't find him.
ref: 1934, Robert E. Howard, The Slugger's Game:
topics: heading
glosses: To strike.
To administer a blow to, directly or with a weapon or missile.
examples: text: The ball hit the fence.
text: a dozen apples, each of them near as large as a Bristol barrel, came tumbling about my ears; one of them hit me on the back as I chanced to stoop, and knocked me down flat on my face.
ref: 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag):
text: Meanwhile the street boys kept up a shower of mud balls, many of which hit the Doctor, while the rest were distributed upon his assailants.
ref: 1882, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Doctor Grimshawe's Secret: A romance:
topics: heading
glosses: To strike.
To come into contact with forcefully and suddenly.
examples: text: If bodies be extension alone, […]how can they move and hit one against another?
ref: a. 1705, John Locke, “An Examination of P[ère] Malebranche’s Opinion of Seeing All Things in God”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC:
topics: heading
glosses: To strike.
To strike against something.
examples: text: Hit the Enter key to continue.
topics: heading
glosses: To strike.
To activate a button or key by pressing and releasing it.
examples: text: Hit him tonight and throw the body in the river.
text: FREDO: Mikey, why would they ever hit poor old Frankie Five-Angels? I loved that ole sonuvabitch.
ref: 1973, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II (screenplay, second draft)
topics: heading
glosses: To strike.
To kill a person, usually on the instructions of a third party.
examples: text: If intelligence had been what it should have been, I don't think we'd ever have hit that island.
topics: government
heading
military
politics
war
glosses: To strike.
To attack, especially amphibiously.
examples: text: Their coffee really hits the spot.
text: I used to listen to that song all the time, but it hits different(ly) now.
topics: heading
glosses: To strike.
To affect someone, as if dealing a blow to that person.
examples: text: I hit the jackpot.
antonyms: miss
glosses: To manage to touch (a target) in the right place.
examples: text: Somebody's been here! Hit the lights!
glosses: To switch on or switch off (lights).
examples: text: I'd love to hear your band play.
Hit it boys!
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: To commence playing.
examples: text: We hit the grocery store on the way to the park.
glosses: To briefly visit.
examples: text: You'll hit some nasty thunderstorms if you descend too late.
text: We hit a lot of traffic coming back from the movies.
glosses: To encounter an obstacle or other difficulty.
examples: text: The movie hits theaters in December.
text: The temperature could hit 110°F tomorrow.
text: We hit Detroit at one in the morning but kept driving through the night.
text: As soon as we hit Jazzafrazz Town, we were overcome by the glitz and the glamour.
ref: 2004, Intelligent Systems, translated by Nintendo of America, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Nintendo, GameCube, level/area: Rogueport:
text: And her success with Glover, a product of the National Lottery-funded Sporting Giants talent identification programme, will also spark relief among British officials who were starting to fret a little about hitting their target of equalling fourth in the medal table from Beijing.
ref: 2012 August 1, Owen Gibson, “London 2012: rowers Glover and Stanning win Team GB's first gold medal”, in Guardian Unlimited:
topics: heading
glosses: To attain, to achieve.
To reach or achieve.
examples: text: And oft it hits / Where hope is coldest and despair most fits.
ref: c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
text: All Human Race wou’d fain be Wits, / And Millions miſs, for one that hits.
ref: 1733, [Jonathan Swift], On Poetry: A Rapsody, Dublin; London: […] [R. Fleming] [a]nd sold by J. Huggonson, […], →OCLC, page 3, lines 1–2:
topics: heading
glosses: To attain, to achieve.
To meet or reach what was aimed at or desired; to succeed, often by luck.
examples: text: Thou hast hit it.
ref: c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
text: And we shall sit at endless feast,
⁠Enjoying each the other’s good;
⁠What vaster dream can hit the mood
Of Love on earth?
ref: 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLVI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 69:
topics: heading
glosses: To attain, to achieve.
To guess; to light upon or discover.
examples: text: The economy was hit by a recession.  The hurricane hit his fishing business hard.
glosses: To affect negatively.
examples: text: I have to say this, he hit my hands. Nobody has ever hit my hands. I’ve never heard of this one. Look at those hands. Are they small hands?
ref: 2016 March 3, Nick Gass, quoting Donald Trump, “Trump on small hands: 'I guarantee you there's no problem'”, in Politico:
glosses: To attack.
examples: text: Hit me.
topics: card-games
games
heading
glosses: To make a play.
In blackjack, to deal a card to.
examples: text: Jones hit for the pitcher.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
heading
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To make a play.
To come up to bat.
topics: backgammon
games
heading
glosses: To make a play.
To take up, or replace by a piece belonging to the opposing player; said of a single unprotected piece on a point.
examples: text: The external web servers hit DBSRV7, but the internal web server hits DBSRV3.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
programming
sciences
glosses: To use; to connect to.
examples: text: I'd hit that!
glosses: To have sex with.
examples: text: Tastes like fruit when you hit it; got to have bread to get it.
ref: 2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG:
glosses: To inhale an amount of smoke from a narcotic substance, particularly marijuana.
examples: text: This is another great exercise which hits the long head.
topics: bodybuilding
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: (of an exercise) to affect, to work a body part.
examples: text: With that said, the group hitting their legs just once a week still made gains.
topics: bodybuilding
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To work out.
Synonyms: sense: administer a blow
word: beat
word: pelt
word: thump
sense: kill a person
word: bump off
word: do away with
word: whack
word: kill
sense: attack
word: beset
word: fall upon
word: lay into
word: attack
sense: have sex with
word: bang
word: ram
word: smash
word: copulate with
sense: smoke marijuana
word: smoke up
sense: smoke marijuana
word: toke
sense: work out
word: hit the gym
word: baste
word: batter
word: belabor
word: blow
word: boom-boom
word: buffet
word: butt
word: calcitrate
word: dab
word: dash
word: dowse
word: fetch one a blow
word: flap
word: give toco
word: kick
word: knock
word: hammer
word: hit
word: impact
word: jerk
word: lunge
word: patter
word: pat
word: pink
word: poke
word: pummel
word: punch
word: pound
word: tap
word: thrash
word: thwack
word: rap
word: slam
word: slap
word: smite
word: strike
word: swap
word: vapulate
word: whip
word: yerk
Hypernyms: word: attack
Hyponyms: word: box
word: bruise
word: headbutt
word: noogie
word: push
word: slog
word: slug
word: smash
word: wallop
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: a hit dog will holler
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: don't let the door hit you on the way out
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: flood-hit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hard-hitting
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit above one's weight
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a brick wall
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a home run
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a lick
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit and hope
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit-and-miss
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit and run
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a nerve
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit-a-pin bagatelle
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a raw nerve
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a six
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a snag
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a stain
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit at
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit a wall
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit away
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit back
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit below one's weight
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit bottom
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit different
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit hard
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit home
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit into the long grass
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit it
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit it and quit it
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit it big
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit it for six
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit it off
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit it out of the park
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit it up
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit licks
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit like a ton of bricks
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit like a truck
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hitman
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit me
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit off
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit off the line
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit on
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit on all cylinders
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit on all six
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit one hard
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit one out of the ball park
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit one out of the ballpark
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit one's marks
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit one's straps
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit one's stride
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit out
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit out of the park
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit pause
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit paydirt
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit pay dirt
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit rock bottom
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit-run
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit send
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit-skip
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit someone for six
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit someone when they are down
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hittable
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hittee
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hitter
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the accelerator
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the ball twice
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the big time
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the board
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the books
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the bottle
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the bricks
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the buffers
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the button
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the ceiling
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the deck
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the dirt
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the fan
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the floor
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the gas
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the ground running
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the gym
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the hay
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the head
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the headlines
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the high notes
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the jackpot
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the mark
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit them licks
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the nail on the head
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the net
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the pan
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the pavement
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the rack
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the road
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the rock
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the rocks
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the roof
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the sack
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the sauce
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the sheets
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the shelves
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the shops
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the shower
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the showers
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the silk
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the skids
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the spot
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the stores
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the streets
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the trail
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit the wall
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hitting
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hitting partner
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hitting time
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit too close to home
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit two birds with one shot
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit two targets with one arrow
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit up
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit up against
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit upon
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit wicket
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit with
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: hit with the stupid stick
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: it's the hit dog that howls
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: let the door hit you where the good Lord split you
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: look like a bomb has hit it
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: mis-hit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: mishit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: not be able to hit the broad side of a barn
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: not hit a cow's arse with a banjo
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: not know what hit one
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: one-hit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: outhit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: overhit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: pinch-hit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: switch-hitting
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: the fat hit the fire
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: the rubber hits the road
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: the shit has hit the fan
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: the tackies hit the tar
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: they hit the Pentagon
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: underhit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: unhit
sense: Terms derived from hit (verb)
word: who-hit-John