hit the gas

idiom

: to push down on the accelerator in a vehicle in a sudden and forceful way

She suddenly hit the gas and sped away.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web When the green flag eventually flies, drivers will hit the gas for 600 miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway ― though last year's race, which went to multiple overtimes, took 619 miles to complete. —

Ellen J. Horrow, USA TODAY, 28 May 2023 Police said the driver — his girlfriend — hit the gas, and Marquez fired several shots at pursuing officers. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Dec. 2022 Multnomah County Circuit Judge Thomas Ryan denied bail for Moore, 40, after a two-and-a-half hour hearing, rejecting the defense lawyer’s argument that Moore mistakenly hit the gas and struck Timothy without intent. —

oregonlive, 27 July 2022 Unlike 2022’s bikercore craze that really encouraged people to hit the gas pedal, both brands and street style darlings have offered a few options that take the aviator jackets into glam territory. —

refinery29.com, 9 Feb. 2023 The usual instinct would be to hit the gas and accelerate. —

Tim Gray, Variety, 11 Jan. 2023 The man told Santa Rosa deputies Stoodley became impatient and hit the gas, striking the man and two of the puppies, killing one of them and breaking the other’s leg, according to the report. —

Warren Kulo | Wkulo@al.com, al, 4 May 2023 Price hikes hit the gas Food inflation between 2021 and 2022 was multiples higher than its average over the past 20 years. —

Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2023 The drivers of both jeeps shift into reverse and hit the gas. —

Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 27 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hit the gas.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.