as in finding
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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hitting (upon)
Verb
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Conservatives are digging through Talarico’s social media history and finding a trove of progressive commentary on hot-button cultural issues like race, gender, religion and immigration.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026 -
Under Johnson’s direction, Ginn is finding her own individual footing with the part.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Travelers across the United States are encountering unusually long airport security lines as a partial federal government shutdown strains staffing at the Transportation Security Administration.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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State officials decided last year to end the contracts with the current regional vendors of the Next Generation 911 system after encountering call routing and service issues.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Hitting (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hitting%20%28upon%29. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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