hit

verb

\ ˈhit

hit; hitting

Definition of hit

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to reach with or as if with a sudden blow His mom told him to stop hitting his sister.

b : to come in quick forceful contact with the ball hit the window He was hit by a car. The tank was hit by enemy fire.

c : to strike (something, such as a ball) with an object (such as a bat, club, or racket) so as to impart or redirect motion hit a fastball into the outfield

2a : to cause to come into contact She accidentally hit her head getting into the car.

b : to deliver (something, such as a blow) by action

c : to apply forcefully or suddenly hit the brakes Will someone hit the lights?

3 : to affect especially detrimentally farmers hit by drought Many families were hit hard during the recession.

4 : to make a request of hit his friend for 10 dollars —often used with up hit us up for some change

5 : to discover or meet especially by chance prospectors hitting gold hit a snowstorm while driving home hit a run of bad luck

6a : to accord with : suit hits public tastes

b : reach, attain prices hit a new high kept digging until he hit water She'll hit 50 on her next birthday.

c : to arrive or appear at, in, or on hit town the best time to hit the stores The newest issue hits newsstands tomorrow.

d of fish : to bite at or on will only hit live bait

e : to reflect accurately hit the right note

f : to reach or strike (something, such as a target) especially for a score in a game or contest couldn't seem to hit the basket

g baseball : bat sense 2b a player who can hit .300

7 : to indulge in excessively He repeatedly hit the bottle [=drank alcoholic beverages excessively] and, following a wild binge, was exiled to a remote post in the mountains …— Stanley Karnow

8 : to deal another card to (as in blackjack) hit me

intransitive verb

1a : to strike a blow boxers hitting furiously at each other

b : to arrive with a forceful effect like that of a blow the storm hit

2a : to come into contact with something the plate shattered when it hit

b : attack where the terrorists would hit next

c of a fish : strike sense 11b

d baseball : bat sense 1 next up to hit

3 : to succeed in attaining or coming up with something —often used with on or upon hit on a solution

4 obsolete : to be in agreement : suit

5 of an internal combustion engine : to fire a quantity of mixed fuel and air in the cylinders (see cylinder sense 2b) the engine wouldn't hit

hit it big

: to achieve great success

hit it off

: to get along well : become friends they hit it off immediately

hit on

: to make especially sexual overtures to

hit the books

: to study especially with intensity

hit the fan

: to have a major usually undesirable impact

hit the ground running

: to begin or proceed quickly, energetically, or effectively

hit the hay or hit the sack

: to go to bed

hit the high points or hit the high spots

: to touch on or at the most important points or places

hit the jackpot

: to become notably and unexpectedly successful

hit the nail on the head

: to be exactly right

hit the road

: leave, travel also : to set out

hit the roof or hit the ceiling

: to give vent to a burst of anger or angry protest

hit the spot

: to give complete or special satisfaction —used especially of food or drink

hit the wall

1 : to reach the point of physical exhaustion during strenuous activity

2 : to reach a limiting point or situation at which progress or success ceases

hit

noun

Definition of hit (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act or instance of striking or forcefully coming in contact with someone or something : an act or instance of hitting or being hit penalized for an illegal hit from behind The bunker took a direct hit from the bombers.

2a : a stroke of luck

b : a great success The show was a big hit. a compilation of the band's greatest hits The pony rides were a hit with the kids.

3 : a telling or critical remark

4 baseball : base hit

5 : a quantity of a drug ingested at one time took a hit of LSD

6 : a premeditated murder committed especially by a member of a crime syndicate (see syndicate entry 1 sense 3c) a hit on a rival gang leader

7 : an instance of connecting to a particular website a million hits per day

8 : a successful match in a search (as of a computer database or the Internet)

Other Words from hit Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about hit

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Examples of hit in a Sentence

Verb

She told her son to stop hitting his sister. She hit him hard with her purse. The boxers hit each other with their fists. The boxers were hitting furiously at each other. She hit the ball right to the shortstop. The ball hit the house. The plate shattered when it hit the floor. The tank was hit by enemy fire. He was hit by a car. The ship hit an iceberg.

Noun

The player was penalized for an illegal hit from behind. The torpedo made a direct hit. The pony ride was a big hit at the party.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Aaron Judge hit his second homer of the game leading off the 11th inning, Brett Gardner added a three-run shot and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 on Friday night. — courant.com, "Judge hits 2nd HR of game in 11th, Yankees beat Rays 8-4," 6 July 2019 No one gets this bent out of shape about statements from platoon outfielders hitting a buck-nothing. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Machado’s ‘bet’ with Dodgers fan shows off new Padres edge," 6 July 2019 One seismologist said there is a 50% chance of another large quake hitting the area next week. — Doug Criss, CNN, "5 things to know for July 5: Fourth of July, Sudan, Chris Cline, California earthquake," 5 July 2019 According to the National Weather Service, the temperature hit 90 degrees at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. — CBS News, "Alaska hit with record high temperatures and wildfires," 5 July 2019 The National Weather Service says storms could hit Indianapolis starting Friday afternoon, but there's a bigger chance for storms on Saturday. — Andrew Clark, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis weather: Here's your Fourth of July weekend forecast," 5 July 2019 Police said a 50-year-old man from Red Lion, Pa., hit the woman near Evergreen Road. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Annapolis woman hit, critically injured while bicycling in Bethany Beach," 5 July 2019 He was limited to only 24 at-bats last season, but hit .542 with a 1.417 OPS. — Adam Lichtenstein, sun-sentinel.com, "American Heritage’s Enrique Bradfield Jr., Cardinal Gibbons’ Timmy Manning picked for MLB’s inaugural High School All-Star Game," 5 July 2019 After the video hit the Internet on Friday, Blue Bell began investigating Walmart locations in San Antonio, Houston and eventually Lufkin after social media comments suggested the woman was from the San Antonio area. — Fox News, "Ice cream 'licking' video traced to Texas Walmart; suspect will face charges, police say," 4 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Moore, who stars as Angel Evangelista on the hit FX series Pose, also used the panel discussion to remind us all of the very dark reality for many Black trans women. — James Love, Essence, "Indya Moore And Liris Crosse Talk About Creating A More Inclusive World At Essence Fashion House," 6 July 2019 Timed to the premiere of Stranger Things season 3 on Netflix this week, Epic Games unleashed new character skins in the Item Shop inspired by the hit series: one for David Harbour’s Chief Hopper and another for the monstrous Demogorgons. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Stranger Things and Fortnite crossover brings Demogorgons and Chief Hopper," 5 July 2019 And science journalism has taken a hit, and is perhaps why CNN interviewed an anti-science zealot. — The Conversation, "Confused about what to eat? Science can help," 5 July 2019 More specifically, the hit sci-fi series is largely shot in different cities and towns surrounding the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "Hawkins, Indiana From 'Stranger Things' Doesn’t Exist, But Here’s Where the Show Films," 4 July 2019 Mr Biden has taken a direct hit, slumping an average of 6 points since last week. — The Economist, "The best line in the first televised debate may hurt the Democrats," 4 July 2019 Revenue rose nearly 44% to $97 billion in 2018, even as profits took a hit from the acquisition. — Fortune, "Marathon Petroleum," 1 July 2019 The independent book publishing industry has also taken a big hit. — Austin Ramzy, New York Times, "On Hong Kong Handover Anniversary, Many Fear Loss of Freedoms," 1 July 2019 Millennial and Gen Z viewers also pined for the hit series’s version of a pre-smartphone idyll. — John Jurgensen, WSJ, "How ‘Stranger Things’ Whipped Up ’80s Fever," 30 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.