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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hitting (upon)
Verb
-
Brunson said the two have been finding a rhythm on the court.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026 -
Hundreds of Korean adoptees in the West have already requested that their cases be investigated by a fact-finding commission reviewing past human rights violations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For some classes, participants are invited to harvest herbs from the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, encountering firsthand the seed-to-plate process.—
Nicole Schnitzler,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
At a time of widespread angst over runaway ticket prices, merely encountering something novel at a concert isn’t enough for many to justify the cost of getting in the door, particularly when superstars like Taylor Swift and SZA are on the road showing that innovation and value can coexist.—
Vanessa Franko,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hitting (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hitting%20%28upon%29. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
