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
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Recent Examples of hitting
Pages followed with a single and Keller loaded the bases by hitting Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy with two outs.
—
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 12 June 2026
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 June 2026
The Raiders, the defending champions, used some clutch two-out hitting to forge a 3-0 lead.
—Dave Wright, Twin Cities, 11 June 2026
The Athletics' Nick Kurtz's three-game homer streak ended, but Zack Gelof extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
—CBS News, 11 June 2026
The Knicks held the Spurs to only 20% shooting that quarter, while hitting 5-of-10 3-pointers to begin clawing into the deficit.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 11 June 2026
The play started with Muncy hitting a ground ball up the first-base line.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
London’s Christian Olivares, a USC pledge, extended the lead in the third inning, hitting a two-run home run to left field.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2026
The technique also weakens rate limiting because the large number of attempts is spread out, limiting the number hitting any single account.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 12 June 2026
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 June 2026
The Raiders, the defending champions, used some clutch two-out hitting to forge a 3-0 lead.
—Dave Wright, Twin Cities, 11 June 2026
The Athletics' Nick Kurtz's three-game homer streak ended, but Zack Gelof extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
—CBS News, 11 June 2026
The Knicks held the Spurs to only 20% shooting that quarter, while hitting 5-of-10 3-pointers to begin clawing into the deficit.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 11 June 2026
The play started with Muncy hitting a ground ball up the first-base line.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
London’s Christian Olivares, a USC pledge, extended the lead in the third inning, hitting a two-run home run to left field.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2026
The technique also weakens rate limiting because the large number of attempts is spread out, limiting the number hitting any single account.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hitting
Verb
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The chute dragged the skydiver backward, knocking the camera operator off the plane and into free fall.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
12 Dec. 2025
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And that's to say nothing of the mental health impacts on children in these workers' care, especially when ICE agents come knocking on school and child care center doors, Norton adds.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This last concern, which could’ve effectively sabotaged anybody trying to train competing models by quietly bumping them down to less powerful models without their knowledge, proved controversial enough for Anthropic to change its mind.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
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Gilman pulled rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen to the ground after a catch, later bumping rookie running back Emmett Johnson hard enough that Johnson’s helmet popped off.—
Pete Sweeney
June 11,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The general goal is to either reach artificial general intelligence (AGI) or maybe even the outstretched possibility of achieving artificial superintelligence (ASI).—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
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Three years later, a new BCI system developed at UC Davis Health translated the brain signals of an ALS patient into speech, achieving an accuracy of 97% – the most accurate system of its kind, the university said in a statement.—
Kristie Lu Stout,
CNN Money,
20 July 2025
Verb
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As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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Parents Alexus Benavidez and Rauf Scott of Collin County filed a complaint this month against Kids ‘R’ Kids of Lawler Farm in Frisco, alleging their 3-year-old son was the victim of excessive physical force that included yanking, spanking and smacking the toddler.—
Lina Ruiz
May 14,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The Massachusetts Republican Party is slamming both Markey and Healey for backing Platner.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
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Hugh Laurie has apologized to a writer after slamming her criticisms of House on social media.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The 38-year-old is not easing his way into this match, helping clear an early ball for Argentina by tracking into the defensive backfield and winning possession himself as his side struggled to clear its lines.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
17 June 2026
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But while other African nations, such as Morocco, are now winning the battle for talent with countries such as France or Spain, Ghana is missing out.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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In the run-up to the elections, Russia upped pressure on its ally by slapping import bans on Armenian products, including fresh fruit, flowers and spirits.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called a third strike, but Madrigal argued with the umpire, emphatically slapping his head.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Verb
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He was found dead at a villa with head injuries after a night out, local outlet Majorca Daily Bulletin reported at the time, and he was believed to have died after colliding with a glass window.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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Sports and fashion are colliding in a major way this season (hello, World cup), and the style set is fully embracing the trend.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hitting. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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