Word: hit Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd-der. Proto-Indo-European *kh₂id-néh₂-ti Proto-Germanic *hittijaną Old Norse hittader. Old English hyttan Middle English hitten English hit Inherited 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 West Frisian hitte (“to meet”), Dutch hitten (“to hit, encounter”), 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”). Probably also related to Dutch hei (“mallet”), German Heie (“wooden hammer, mallet”). (something very successful): Compare typologically striking, Russian порази́тельный (porazítelʹnyj) (<~ порази́ть (porazítʹ) <~ рази́ть (razítʹ)). Pronunciation: /hɪt/ 1. To strike. Labels: physical, transitive Example: One boy hit the other. Example: 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. 2. To strike. Labels: physical, transitive Example: The ball hit the fence. Example: 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. 3. To strike. Labels: intransitive, physical 4. To strike. Labels: physical, transitive Example: Hit the Enter key to continue. 5. To strike. Labels: physical, slang, transitive Example: Hit him tonight and throw the body in the river. Example: FREDO: Mikey, why would they ever hit poor old Frankie Five-Angels? I loved that ole sonuvabitch. 6. To strike. Labels: physical, transitive Example: If intelligence had been what it should have been, I don't think we'd ever have hit that island. 7. To strike. Labels: ambitransitive, figuratively, physical Example: Their coffee really hits the spot. Example: I used to listen to that song all the time, but it hits different(ly) now. 8. To manage to touch (a target) in the right place. Labels: transitive Example: I hit the jackpot. Example: You can't hit the high notes in that song! 9. To switch on or switch off (lights). Labels: colloquial, transitive Example: Somebody's been here! Hit the lights! 10. To commence playing. Labels: informal, transitive Example: - I'd love to hear your band play. - Hit it, boys! 11. To briefly visit. Labels: colloquial, transitive Example: We hit the grocery store on the way to the park. 12. To encounter an obstacle or other difficulty. Labels: informal, transitive Example: You'll hit some nasty thunderstorms if you descend too late. Example: We hit a lot of traffic coming back from the movies. 13. To attain, to achieve. Labels: informal, transitive Example: The movie hits theaters in December. Example: The temperature could hit 110°F tomorrow. 14. To attain, to achieve. Labels: intransitive Example: And oft it hits / Where hope is coldest and despair most fits. Example: All Human Race wou’d fain be Wits, / And Millions miſs, for one that hits. 15. To attain, to achieve. Example: Thou hast hit it. Example: And we shall sit at endless feast, ⁠Enjoying each the other’s good; ⁠What vaster dream can hit the mood Of Love on earth? 16. To affect negatively. Labels: transitive Example: The economy was hit by a recession. The hurricane hit his fishing business hard. 17. To attack. Labels: figuratively Example: 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? 18. To make a play. Labels: transitive Example: Hit me. 19. To make a play. Labels: intransitive Example: Jones hit for the pitcher. 20. To make a play. 21. To use; to connect to. Labels: transitive Example: The external web servers hit DBSRV7, but the internal web server hits DBSRV3. 22. To have sex with. Labels: US, slang, transitive Example: I'd hit that! 23. To inhale an amount of smoke from a narcotic substance, particularly marijuana. Labels: US, slang, transitive Example: Tastes like fruit when you hit it; got to have bread to get it. Example: I'm hitting my DMT cart right now. Hold up, hold on nigga. I'm hittin' it not enough to break through though. Oh my God! Oh my God nigga uhhh. I'm- ohhh my God, dude! Ohhh, ahhh! Oh my God! Holy fuck! Oh my God! Oohhh. Oohhh! God! Oh my God! Ahhh! Fuck, I'm breaking through bro. Ohh! 24. (of an exercise) to affect, to work a body part. Labels: transitive Example: This is another great exercise which hits the long head. 25. To work out. Labels: transitive Example: With that said, the group hitting their legs just once a week still made gains.