HITTING Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

hitting

verb

present participle of hit

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

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

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 The team will take a day to settle in on Tuesday before hitting the practice field for the first of 13 sessions on Wednesday. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026 Jerry Kelly birdied the 72nd hole Sunday (despite hitting the ball in a greenside bunker) to account for a 2-shot margin of victory over Gogel, Darren Fichardt and Cameon Perry. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026 In footage published March 22 by TMZ, the Reacher star could be seen hitting the man as two kids sit on their own bikes in the road. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 Charli will tour behind Music, Fashion, Film, hitting the festival circuit (Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Reading, Leeds, and others) before making stops at arenas like Barclays in Brooklyn, New York, and the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2026 The banks and financials were performing well, with the State Street Financial Select Sector ETF (XLF) hitting a new intraday, all-time high. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 July 2026 The Philadelphia Phillies are urgently seeking trade deadline reinforcements, especially an impact right-handed-hitting outfielder, to strengthen their roster for a potential deep playoff run. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 The New York Yankees want to add a right-handed hitting catcher, and the Minnesota Twins’ Ryan Jeffers still appears to be their most obvious target. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 21 July 2026 But what does Porsha being a liar have to do with Shamea hitting below the belt unprompted? — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 20 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hitting

Verb

The surveillance footage released by police in 2012 from the night before the murder showed a person in a hoodie and baggy pants walking up the stairs outside Chavez’s apartment and knocking on the door.

— Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Jay Harry is knocking at the door Blue Jays designated hitter Sean Keys had a front-row seat for Jay Harry’s breakout season.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of knocking

Verb

Why The Executive Playbook Has To Change The typical model for high-achieving leaders is to out-suffer everyone else in the room, appear unflappable, stay silent on struggles, and be the first one in and last one out.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Thus, in this novel, the Vanstone sisters are constantly prevented from achieving their ultimate goals of domesticity, through no faults of their own.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

Definition of achieving

Verb

Heavy raindrops flew sideways, smacking against the hood of my rain jacket and creating a nearly deafening white noise.

— Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
With a Triple-A pitcher called up for a spot start and a utilityman smacking an early two-run homer, the Boston Red Sox, having now won eight straight games, keep winning with an unlikely formula.

— Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 12 July 2026

Definition of smacking

Verb

Brussels, however, was less charitable with EU regulators slapping a fine of 890 million euros ($1 billion) on Google, its first penalty under the Digital Markets Act, for favoring its own services.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 July 2026
Twenty wrestlers are committed to slipping on their mawashi loincloths (don’t call it a diaper), stomping to signal their readiness (that’s a shiko) and doing some belly-slapping grappling.

— Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of slapping

Verb

When two helicopters operate in close proximity, their rotors risk colliding in flight and then coming apart explosively, which would lead the aircraft to fall to the ground with the aerodynamics of a lawn dart.

— Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Their ability to absorb the energy of colliding cars—forcing rails to curl up, rather than spear—is the result of decades of clever engineering.

— Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 July 2026