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

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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

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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 Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the fourth streak of 10 of more games for him this season. — CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Lee gave the Giants a 2-1 lead in the fifth by hitting his career-high ninth home run of the season, a solo shot that nearly landed in McCovey Cove. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026 Baldwin is among the best hitting catchers in Major League Baseball. — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Purdy is dialed in One of Purdy’s first throws of 11-on-11 drills on Thursday was a deep touchdown to reserve receiver Malik Turner down the left sideline hitting him in stride beyond the chasing defensive back. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The two of them had a whirlwind couple of months, stopping by the Coachella stage to play with Karol G and hitting the World Cup opening ceremony for a headline-making performance. — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2026 Barry Bonds became the first player in major league history to hit 30 home runs in 13 consecutive seasons, hitting a solo shot off John Grabow in the seventh inning of San Francisco’s 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 The 27-year-old Adell has 16 homers and 62 RBIs this season, one year after hitting a career-best 37 homers with 98 RBIs. — David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026 On a muggy night when the teams combined for 10 homers and 18 of the 20 runs were scored via longballs, the left-handed-hitting Burleson used the short porch in right field to his advantage. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hitting

Verb

Elarms-Orr didn’t think Kincaid was down and laid a sizable hit on the tight end, knocking him to the ground again.

— Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Wahab said she’s been hard at work on the campaign trail hosting town hall discussions, knocking door-to-door and meeting constituents in the district.

— Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of knocking

Verb

Traveling down conveyor belts, bumping around on baggage carts and in cargo holds, suitcases quickly pick up scuffs that can be hard to remove.

— Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 27 July 2026
And for everyone in the F1 paddock, there is now additional clarity on plans for the second half of the season heading into the summer break, while bumping the calendar back up to a provisional 23 races.

— Luke Smith, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Definition of bumping

Verb

This approach has already yielded significant results, with the 2026 BET Awards achieving its highest ratings since 2019, boasting a 50% year-over-year growth.

— Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Many are pessimistic about achieving the American Dream and question the value of higher education.

— Evan Clarkson, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of achieving

Verb

Jumping into the air, doing the splits, screaming at the top of his lungs, smacking the ground.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of smacking

Verb

But, Alexanian says, policymakers also worry about overregulation slamming the breaks on useful research.

— Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
At that moment, another car came in to merge and seemingly failed to notice the other vehicle stalled, slamming into the back of it.

— Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of slamming

Verb

Durbin came through for the Red Sox with the one-out game-winning hit, ending the 4-hour, 23-minute contest.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Tyler Kinley, Víctor Mederos, Danny Young, Dylan Lee and newcomer Brent Suter, respectively, combined to pitch the final six innings as the Braves ran their winning streak to eight straight and nine in a row at home.

— Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of winning

Verb

In the end, the matchup felt like two eras colliding between two different franchises.

— Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Special Agent Berger was not involved here, but federal officers accused Redmond of colliding with the back of a car operated by Border Patrol agents.

— Conor Wight, CBS News, 30 July 2026