hit

verb

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\ 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 uphit 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 uponhit 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 During the struggle, Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, two law enforcement officials said. — Mike Catalini And Nomaan Merchant, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Brian did his job’: Family remembers fallen Capitol officer," 9 Jan. 2021 Police said one person was hit in the foot and another was struck in the face during the double shooting Friday afternoon, which was reported about 4:35 p.m. in the 6000 block of Chef Menteur Highway. — Ramon Antonio Vargas | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "2 shot in New Orleans East on Friday afternoon, as violent day continues," 8 Jan. 2021 Gatto was hit 11 times and was found dead on the bathroom floor, the affidavit said. — oregonlive, "3 men face federal charges in spree of violent robberies, 2016 killing of Milwaukie man, records show," 6 Jan. 2021 Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, North Carolina, whom Secrets regularly quotes on industry developments, said the outfit, one of the nation’s biggest, hit multiple sales records last year. — Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, "Historic: FBI logs 40% jump in gun checks in 2020, a record 39M," 4 Jan. 2021 One of the deputies and two store security officers were hit in the legs, Chapman said. — Washington Post, "Loudoun deputy, store security officers wounded in shooting, officials say," 3 Jan. 2021 The autumn and winter surge hit every demographic equally, Taylor said. — Jeremy Redmon, ajc, "Trump rally divides N. Georgia community hit hard by COVID-19," 1 Jan. 2021 The community that the clinic serves has been hit with pandemic job losses, Valbuena said. — Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, "Free, affordable health clinics play crucial role in coronavirus pandemic," 1 Jan. 2021 Grossman, the former publisher of Westlake Magazine and wife of prominent plastic surgeon Peter Grossman, has been hit with the felony charges, KTLA-TV said Wednesday. — Fox News, "California socialite charged with murder in death of two young boys," 31 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Its 2018 premiere, directed by Mundruczo at the TR Warszawa theater in Warsaw, was a hit, and the production is still in the company’s repertoire. — New York Times, "Vanessa Kirby Has Been Waiting for a Role That Scares Her," 31 Dec. 2020 When a movie is a hit with critics and audiences and maintains the top spot at the box office for consecutive weeks, the studio behind the movie often ramps up marketing to reach more consumers. — R.t. Watson, WSJ, "Superhero Film Franchise Creators Nervous of World Without Big-Screen Debuts," 29 Dec. 2020 The story was a hit on our social media, as many were amazed at such a high value for a celestial object named 16 Psyche. — Sonia Ramirez, Chron, "9 space stories that helped us forget we lived on Earth in 2020," 29 Dec. 2020 Selena Gomez's albums are either a hit or miss, but Rare is definitely a hit. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "The Best Love Songs of 2020 From Taylor Swift to Machine Gun Kelly," 25 Dec. 2020 Earlier this year, North Face launched another collaboration with MM6 Maison Margiela that was an instant hit. — Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, "The North Face x Gucci Collab Includes 2020’s Most Popular Jacket In Maximalist Prints," 24 Dec. 2020 But for fans of all ages, the Fiesta look should be a hit, Popovich said. — Tom Orsborn, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich a fan of Fiesta uniforms," 23 Dec. 2020 The couple, who live in East Hampton, N.Y., are a hit on Garten's show. — Marianne Garvey, CNN, "Ina Garten celebrates 52 years of marriage, but has some second thoughts on their wedding cake," 23 Dec. 2020 The special event was a huge hit and had the country talking. — Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, "20 top TV moments of 2020: From 'Jeopardy!' to 'Tiger King' and that wild election," 23 Dec. 2020

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.