1
as in knocking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
a good carpenter hits a nail just two or three times to drive it in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in bumping
to come into usually forceful contact with something
when she fell on the ice, she hit hard and badly bruised her elbow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in achieving
to obtain (as a goal) through effort
the rock band hit "the big time" with their third album
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of hitting
Gausman had retired 17 straight Dodger batters until the seventh inning, when Smith yet again got the best of him, hitting a solo home run to break the stale mate.
—
Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
The singing voices behind KPop Demon Hunters' beloved girl group HUNTR/X will be hitting the stage to perform live in concert for the first time.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Stratton betrayed Nia Jax, hitting her with the briefcase before landing the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to score the pinfall and her first world title in professional wrestling.
—Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Ohtani didn’t fare so poorly himself, hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning off Braydon Fisher.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Hurricane-force winds will begin hitting the island around Monday after around two days of storm-force winds.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
Kurt's key takeaways Tesla's dream of a fully autonomous future keeps hitting speed bumps.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Buffett’s master class on the problem with gold The price of gold slipped on Friday after hitting a record high above $4,300 an ounce earlier this week.
—Alex Crippen, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
The singing voices behind KPop Demon Hunters' beloved girl group HUNTR/X will be hitting the stage to perform live in concert for the first time.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Stratton betrayed Nia Jax, hitting her with the briefcase before landing the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to score the pinfall and her first world title in professional wrestling.
—Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Ohtani didn’t fare so poorly himself, hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning off Braydon Fisher.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Hurricane-force winds will begin hitting the island around Monday after around two days of storm-force winds.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
Kurt's key takeaways Tesla's dream of a fully autonomous future keeps hitting speed bumps.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Buffett’s master class on the problem with gold The price of gold slipped on Friday after hitting a record high above $4,300 an ounce earlier this week.
—Alex Crippen, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hitting
Verb
-
There were plenty of upsets, from Houston falling to West Virginia to SMU potentially knocking Miami out of the playoffs one week after the Mustangs lost to Wake Forest.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Door knocking is an important part of campaigning, according to Jeff Lyons, an associate professor at Boise State University.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Coach was kind of bumping along.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The two companies both described the layoffs as permanent, noted the workers were not represented by a union, and stated that no affected employees have bumping rights over workers who have less seniority.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Given today’s political polarization, achieving such majorities for even a bipartisan infrastructure plan seems impossible—let alone for the coronation of a man the amendment was written to prevent.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Danielson said that as BroncoPRO continues to grow, more opportunities for freshmen to earn money will become available, but the emphasis will still be on achieving the right to earn that money.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the season four premiere of Mayor of Kingstown, co-creators/writers Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan waste no time smacking viewers with a sense of doom and gloom.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The two had a peculiar conversation where Hawkins said Clifton missed smacking her rear end.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Back in 1961, residents of Capitola woke up to find that hordes of black seabirds were slamming into cars, windows and people's homes and dying.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Ford said earlier that his province was spending $75 million to run ads in the United States slamming the impact of tariffs and featuring clips of Reagan.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Double-winning trio Alejandro Grimaldo, Edmond Tapsoba and Patrik Schick are all still at the club, providing at least some continuity in support.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
American Express Dining and drinks All the food and drinks are curated by The Culinary Collective by The Centurion Lounge, a collection of James Beard® Award-winning Resy chefs, including Mashama Bailey, Sarah Grueneberg, Kwame Onwuachi and Mike Solomonov, as well as bar director Harrison Ginsberg.—
Lori Zaino,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
At one point, Ginger is seen repeatedly slapping Jesse’s behind.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
He's also accused of slapping a nearby female passenger and trying to hit a crew member.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Rojas’ play in the ninth was fantastic, but then Andy Pages one-upped him with a leaping catch on Ernie Clement’s long drive to left-center while colliding with Kiké Hernández.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hitting. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share