hit Hear it!

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hit definition

hit (hit)

transitive verb hit, hitting hit′·ting

  1. to come against, usually with force; strike the car hit the tree
  2. to give a blow to; strike; knock
  3. to strike so as to deliver (a blow)
  4. to strike by throwing or shooting a missile at to hit the target
  5. to cause to knock, bump, or strike, as in falling, moving, etc.: often with on or against to hit one's head on a door
  6. to affect strongly or adversely so as to distress or harm a town hard hit by floods
  7. to come upon by accident or after search; find; light upon to hit the right answer
  8. ☆ to arrive at (a place or point); reach; attain stocks hit a new high
  9. to go to; visit we hit all the art galleries in town
  10. strike, , , & (variously)
  11. Slang to apply oneself to steadily or frequently to hit the books
  12. Slang to demand or require of: with for; often with up she hit me up for a loan
  13. Slang to murder: said as of a hired murderer or an assassin
  14. Slang to supply with a drug, etc.
  15. Baseball to get (a specified base hit) to hit a double
  16. Blackjack to deal another card to

Etymology: ME hitten < OE hittan < ON hitta, to hit upon, meet with < IE base *keid-, to fall > Welsh cwydd, a fall

intransitive verb

  1. to give a blow or blows; strike
  2. to attack suddenly
  3. to knock, bump, or strike: usually with against
  4. to come by accident or after search: with on or upon
  5. ☆ to ignite the combustible mixture in its cylinders: said of an internal-combustion engine
  6. Baseball to get a base hit

noun

  1. a blow that strikes its mark
  2. a collision of one thing with another
  3. an effectively witty or sarcastic remark
  4. a stroke of good fortune
  5. a successful and popular song, singer, book, author, etc.
  6. Informal
    1. an instance of finding or matching particular data in a computer search
    2. an instance of being accessed: said of a website
  7. Slang a murder, as by a hired murderer or an assassin
  8. Slang a dose of a drug, a drink of alcoholic liquor, etc.
  9. Backgammon a game won by a player after one or more of the opponent's men have been removed from the board
  10. Baseball base hit

Related Forms:

hit Idioms

hit it off

to get along well together; be congenial

hit off

to mimic or portray briefly and well, usually in a satirical way

hit on

Slang to make sexual advances to

hit or miss

without regard to success or failure; in a haphazard or aimless way

hit (out) at

  1. to aim a blow at; try to hit
  2. to attack in words; criticize severely

hit over the head

  1. to strike on the head
  2. to emphasize repeatedly or strongly to you don't have to hit me over the head with it—I understand

hit the fan

Slang to become suddenly embarrassing, troublesome, etc.; have a strong negative effect

hit the ground running

Informal to work or function vigorously and effectively from the very beginning

hit the road

Slang
to leave; go away

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
hit Synonyms

hit

modif.

shot, struck, slugged, cuffed, slapped, smacked, pummeled, clouted, punched, boxed, slammed, knocked, beat, beaten, pounded, thrashed, spanked, banged, smashed, cudgeled, basted, slogged, smitten, tapped, rapped, whacked, thwacked, thumped, kicked, swatted*, mugged*, pasted*, plastered*, biffed*, binged*, poked*, rocked*, knocked out*; see also hurt.

Antonyms unhurt*, unscathed*, untouched.


hit

n.

  1. A blow

    slap, rap, punch; see blow 1.

  2. A popular success

    favorite, achievement, masterstroke, bestseller, sleeper, platinum record, gold record, succés fou (French), sellout, smash*, knockout*; see also success 2.

  3. In baseball, a batted ball that cannot be fielded

    base hit, single, two-base hit, double, three-base hit, triple, home run, wallop*, bagger*, wham*; see also run 3, score 1.


hit

v.

  1. To strike

    knock, beat, sock, slap, punch, punish, smite, thump, bump, hammer, strike down, bang, whack, thwack, jab, clap, tap, pat, dab, smack, kick at, pelt, flail, thrash, cuff, kick, rap, cudgel, clout, club, buffet, bat around, kick around, lay low, lash out at, not hold one's punches, hit at, hit out at, make a dent in, let have it, give a black eye, swing at, take a swing at, crack, squail, mug*, pop*, biff*, hook*, bash*, bob*, slug*, nail*, conk*, paste*, whomp*, nail one on*, let fly at*, box off*, ride roughshod over*, box the ears*, whang*, hang a mouse on*; see also knock out.

  2. To bump against

    jostle, butt, knock against, scrape, bump, run against, thump, collide with, bump into, meet head-on; see also crash 4.

  3. To fire in time; said of an internal combustion motor

    catch, respond, go, run, connect, function, hit on all fours*; see also operate 2.

  4. In baseball, to hit safely

    make a hit, single, double, triple, hit safe*, get on*, rip a single*, rip a double*, rip a triple*, blast one*, make a homer*; see also score 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

hit Usage Examples

Object

  • ball: He hits the ball with all that he's got.

Noun used with modifier

  • chart: Specializing in party pop from the 60's to current chart hits - Abba to All Saints, The Monkees to Moloko.

Subject

  • flak: But they had been hit by flak and blown up, right over the dam, only about a hundred and fifty feet up.

Adjective modifier

  • instant: Tim Burton's much loved film became an instant hit in 1990 launching Johnny Depp onto the global scene in the eponymous role.

Modifies a noun

  • wonder: Q2: Which one hit wonder had a million selling hit with a ' speeded up jeans song ' in 1996?

Preposition: by

  • flak: But they had been hit by flak and blown up, right over the dam, only about a hundred and fifty feet up.
hit usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

hit quotes

You can't think and hit at the same time.

-Berra,Yogi Lawrence Peter

England isnot ruined becausesinewy brownmenfroma distant colony sometimes hit a ball further and oftener than our men do.

-Priestley,J(ohn) B(oynton)

Find out where the ball is, get there; hit it.

-Ranjitsinhji, Prince

hit quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"hit." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 3 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/hit>

APA Style

hit. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 3rd, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/hit

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