hit
verb /hɪt/
/hɪt/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they hit | /hɪt/ /hɪt/ |
| he / she / it hits | /hɪts/ /hɪts/ |
| past simple hit | /hɪt/ /hɪt/ |
| past participle hit | /hɪt/ /hɪt/ |
| -ing form hitting | /ˈhɪtɪŋ/ /ˈhɪtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] to bring your hand, or an object you are holding, against somebody/something quickly and with force
- hit somebody/something I was afraid he was going to hit me.
- hit somebody/something with something She hit him with her umbrella.
- hit somebody/something in/on something Someone hit him in the face.
- hit somebody/something in/on something with something He hit the nail squarely on the head with the hammer.
Extra Examples- He hit her with a stick.
- He was hit over the head with a broken bottle.
- I was so angry, I wanted to hit him.
- She didn't hit me very hard.
- She hit him in the face.
- Their teachers used to hit them with a stick.
- I felt like hitting him.
- I picked up a pan and hit him over the head with it.
- My parents never used to hit me.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hard
- repeatedly
- directly
- …
- want to
- be going to
- in
- on
- with
- …
- hit somebody over the head
- [transitive, intransitive] to come against something/somebody with force, especially causing damage or injury
- hit something/somebody The bus hit the bridge.
- The boy was hit by a speeding car.
- hit against something/somebody The boat hit against an object under the surface of the water.
Synonyms hithit- knock
- bang
- strike
- bump
- bash
- hit to come against somebody/something with force, especially causing damage or injury:
- The boy was hit by a speeding car.
- knock to hit something so that it moves or breaks; to put somebody/something into a particular state or position by hitting them/it:
- Someone had knocked a hole in the wall.
- bang to hit something in a way that makes a loud noise:
- The baby was banging the table with his spoon.
- strike (formal) to hit somebody/something hard:
- The ship struck a rock.
- bump to hit somebody/something by accident:
- In the darkness I bumped into a chair.
- bash (informal) to hit against something very hard:
- I braked too late, bashing into the car in front.
- to hit/knock/bang/bump/bash against somebody/something
- to knock/bang/bump/bash into somebody/something
- to hit/strike the ground/floor/wall
Extra ExamplesTopics Illnessa2- A taxi almost hit him as he was crossing the street.
- She threw a plate at him and narrowly missed hitting him.
- I was hit by a falling stone.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hard
- repeatedly
- directly
- …
- want to
- be going to
- in
- on
- with
- …
- hit somebody over the head
- [transitive] hit something to knock a part of your body against something
- I must have hit my knee.
- hit something on something He hit his head on the low ceiling.
- hit something against something As she stood up, she hit her hand against the edge of the table.
Extra Examples- I accidentally hit my knee on the desk.
- I hit my head on the low doorway.
- He fell, hitting his head on the hard stone floor.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hard
- repeatedly
- directly
- …
- want to
- be going to
- in
- on
- with
- …
- hit somebody over the head
- [transitive, often passive] (of a bullet, bomb, etc. or a person using them) to reach and touch a person or thing suddenly and with force
- be hit by somebody/something The town was hit by bombs again last night.
- He was hit by a sniper.
- hit somebody/something Not all the bullets hit their targets.
Extra Examples- The grenade will explode as soon as it hits the ground.
- He was hit directly in the back.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hard
- repeatedly
- directly
- …
- want to
- be going to
- in
- on
- with
- …
- hit somebody over the head
- [transitive] hit something to bring a bat, etc. against a ball and push it away with force
- She hit the ball and ran to first base.
- hit something + adv./prep. I hit the ball too hard and it went out of the court.
- We've hit our ball over the fence!
- [transitive] hit something (sport) to score points by hitting a ball
- to hit a home run
- [transitive] hit something (informal) to press something such as a button to operate a machine, etc.
- Hit the brakes!
- He picked up the phone and hit several buttons.
- I found the impulse to hit the fast-forward button to be quite overwhelming.
- I accidentally hit the wrong key.
- Enter your password and then hit ‘Return’.
- [transitive, intransitive] to have a bad effect on somebody/something
- hit (somebody/something) The tax increases will certainly hit the poor.
- His death didn't really hit me at first.
- A tornado hit on Tuesday night.
- Rural areas have been worst hit by the strike.
- Spain was one of the hardest hit countries.
- it hits somebody + adv. It hit him very hard when Rosie left.
Extra Examples- Our department has been badly hit by the cutbacks.
- Some businesses have been hit very hard by the rise in interest rates.
- The plans could be hit by spending cuts.
- Airlines were badly hit by the recession.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- hard
- heavily
- …
- [transitive, intransitive] hit (somebody/something) to attack somebody/something
- We hit the enemy when they least expected it.
- [transitive] hit something (informal) to reach a place
- Follow this footpath and you'll eventually hit the road.
- The President hits town tomorrow.
Extra Examples- Traffic was heavy when they hit the main road.
- They were making good progress when they hit a wide fast-flowing river.
- It'll be two hours before we hit the border.
- By the time we hit the city centre, everything was closed.
- [transitive] hit something to reach a particular level
- Temperatures hit 40° yesterday.
- The euro hit a record low in trading today.
- (British English) We hit top form (= played our best) in yesterday’s match.
- The film doesn't always hit its targets (= succeed in what it is attempting to do).
Extra Examples- He had managed to hit his sales target this month.
- Temperatures are expected to hit 30°C tomorrow.
- [transitive] hit something (informal) to experience something difficult or unpleasant
- We seem to have hit a problem.
- Everything was going well but then we hit trouble.
- [transitive] (informal) to come suddenly into your mind
- hit somebody The idea hit me like a tornado.
- it hits somebody I couldn't remember where I'd seen him before, and then it suddenly hit me.
- it hits somebody that… That's when it really hit me that we were in deep trouble.
- [transitive] (informal) to become widely available for sale
- the latest board game to hit the market
- to hit the shops/stores/shelves
- Her shocking autobiography is about to hit the streets.
touch somebody/something with force
ball
press button
have bad effect
attack
reach
problem/difficulty
suddenly realize
become available
Word Originlate Old English hittan (in the sense ‘come upon, find’), from Old Norse hitta ‘come upon, meet with’, of unknown origin.
Idioms
grab/hit/make the headlines
- to be an important item of news in the mediaExtra Examples
- He always manages to grab the headlines.
- The hospital hit the headlines when a number of suspicious deaths occurred.
- The story was important enough to make the headlines.
hit (it) big
- (informal) to be very successful
- The band has hit big in the US.
hit the buffers
- (informal) if a plan, somebody’s career, etc. hits the buffers, it suddenly stops being successful
- The former tennis star’s comeback trail hit the buffers yesterday when she lost in straight sets.
hit the deck
- (informal) to fall to the ground
hit/knock somebody for six
- (British English) to affect somebody very deeply
- The business over the lawsuit had really knocked her for six.
hit the ground running
- (informal) to start doing something and continue very quickly and successfullyTopics Successc2
hit the hay/sack
- (informal) to go to bed
- I decided to hit the sack and have an early night.
hit/strike home
- if a remark, etc. hits/strikes home, it has a strong effect on somebody, in a way that makes them realize what the true facts of a situation are
- Her face went pale as his words hit home.
hit somebody (straight/right) in the eye
- to be very obvious to somebody
hit it
- (informal) used to tell somebody to start doing something, such as playing music
- Hit it, Louis!
hit it off (with somebody)
- (informal) to have a good friendly relationship with somebody
- We hit it off straight away.
hit the jackpot
- to make or win a lot of money quickly and unexpectedly
hit/miss the mark
- to succeed/fail in achieving or guessing something
- He blushed furiously and Robyn knew she had hit the mark.
- The film misses the mark because it just isn't believable.
hit the nail on the head
- to say something that is exactly right
hit/touch/strike a (raw/sensitive) nerve
- to mention a subject that makes somebody feel angry, upset, embarrassed, etc.
- You touched a raw nerve when you mentioned his first wife.
- My remarks about divorce had unwittingly touched a raw nerve.
- The article struck a raw nerve as it revived unpleasant memories.
hit/strike pay dirt
- (informal) to suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich
- The band really hit pay dirt with their last album.
hit/strike the right/wrong note
- (especially British English) to do, say or write something that is suitable/not suitable for a particular occasion
- It is a bizarre tale and the author hits just the right note of horror and disbelief.
- Unfortunately, the president struck the wrong note in his speech, ignoring the public mood.
hit the road/trail
- (informal) to start a journey
- The following spring I hit the road.
hit the roof
(also go through the roof)
- (informal) to suddenly become very angryTopics Feelingsc2
hit the spot
- (informal) if something hits the spot it does exactly what it should do
hit (your) stride (North American English)
(British English get into your stride)
- to begin to do something with confidence and at a good speed after a slow, uncertain start
- After a nervous start, he finally hit his stride in the second set.
- The team took time to hit stride.
- The show finally hit its stride in the second season.
hit a/the wall
- to reach a point when you cannot continue or make any more progress
- We hit a wall and we weren't scoring.
- I’ve hit a wall with my marathon training.
- What do you do when you hit the wall at work?
hit somebody when they’re down
- to continue to hurt somebody when they are already defeated
hit somebody where it hurts
- to affect somebody where they will feel it most
hit/strike the woodwork
- (British English, informal) to hit the wooden frame of the goal in the game of football (soccer), instead of scoring a goal
- She hit the woodwork twice before scoring.
not know what hit you
- (informal) to be so surprised by something that you do not know how to react
when the shit hits the fan
- (taboo, slang) when somebody in authority finds out about something bad or wrong that somebody has done
- When the shit hits the fan, I don't want to be here.