as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
the popular belief that Sir Isaac Newton hit upon his understanding of gravity at the sight of an apple falling from a tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hit (upon)
Verb
-
Aloe vera and mushroom extracts Aloe vera extracts that bypassed FDA review were found in more than 450 products in FoodData Central, a food and nutrient database managed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, according to the investigation.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026 -
When both of these high-resolution, deep observations are combined (see the overlap), clear evidence appears for that grouping, with what appears to be four globular clusters all found together in a tiny region of space.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While most associations have not encountered this situation to date, being informed and prepared will help prevent confusion, protect resident privacy, and reduce legal risk.—
Peter S. Sachs,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Three Austin Police Department officers encountered a suspect armed with a gun on the street near Buford's Bar, police said at an earlier news conference.—
Tristan Maglunog,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Hit (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hit%20%28upon%29. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
