hitmaker

noun

hit·​mak·​er ˈhit-ˌmā-kər 

variants or hit-maker

plural hitmakers or hit-makers

: one known for producing popular hits in the entertainment industry

… with Hollywood's alltime hitmaker anchoring the Sunday night lineup …

—Richard Corliss

especially : a popular and successful recording artist or group

… whose music is sampled and recycled by mainstream hitmakers, including Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Lil Wayne.

—Mark Guarino

hitmaking

ˈhit-ˌmā-kiŋ 

adjective

or hit-making

Despite his hitmaking prowess, David is no manufactured teen dream.

—Matt Diehl

… the group was a hit-making machine through the 1980's …

—Jon Pareles

Examples of hitmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While Doja Cat is new to the throne on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, the hitmaker has been a radio force in the roughly five years since her mainstream breakthrough. —Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024

The hitmaker then responded by filing documents alleging Blackstock, Starstruck and his associates of violating the Talent Agencies Act. —Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024

Veteran hitmaker Diane Warren will receive the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024

The pop-rock hitmakers will be joined by country star Maren Morris for the one-off concert event, which will fall amid Maroon 5’s run of shows from May through October at the Park MGM in Vegas. —Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024

Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and Sammy Hagar will be taking to the stage at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on April 7 to pay tribute to the late hitmaker. —Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

Lainey Wilson, Sammy Hagar, and more will honor Toby Keith at the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Brooks & Dunn, Lukas Nelson, and Roger Clemens will also pay tribute to the late country hitmaker, who died in February at age 62 from stomach cancer. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024

The Canadian hitmaker’s ride’s been quite a blur, indeed. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

Now, Clark has teamed with many of today’s top country hitmakers to reimagine her catalog of hits on Terri Clark: Take Two, out May 31 via Mercury Nashville/UMe. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above