


v. hit, hit·ting, hits
a. To cause to come into contact: She hit her hand against the wall.
b. To deal a blow to: He hit the punching bag.
c. To cause an implement or missile to come forcefully into contact with: hit the nail with a hammer.
3. To press or push (a key or button, for example): hit the return key by mistake.
4. Sports
a. To reach with a propelled ball or puck: hit the running back with a pass.
b. To score in this way: She hit the winning basket.
c. To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully: couldn't hit the jump shot.
d. To propel with a stroke or blow: hit the ball onto the green.
5. Baseball
a. To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.
b. To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.
a. To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.
b. To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.
7. Informal
a. To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
b. To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
a. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
b. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
c. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
9. Games To deal cards to.
10. Sports To bite on or take (bait or a lure). Used of a fish.
1. To strike or deal a blow.
a. To come into contact with something; collide.
b. To attack: The raiders hit at dawn.
c. To happen or occur: The storm hit without warning.
3. To achieve or find something desired or sought: finally hit on the answer; hit upon a solution to the problem.
4. Baseball To bat or bat well: Their slugger hasn't been hitting lately.
5. Sports To score by shooting, especially in basketball: hit on 7 of 8 shots.
6. To ignite a mixture of air and fuel in the cylinders. Used of an internal-combustion engine.
a. A collision or impact.
b. A successfully executed shot, blow, thrust, or throw.
c. Sports A deliberate collision with an opponent, such as a body check in ice hockey.
2. A successful or popular venture: a Broadway hit.
3. Computers
a. A match of data in a search string against data that one is searching.
b. A connection made to a website over the Internet or another network: Our company's website gets about 2,000 hits daily.
4. An apt or effective remark.
5. Abbr. H Baseball A base hit.
6. Slang
a. A dose of a narcotic drug.
b. A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.
7. Slang A murder planned and carried out usually by a member of an underworld syndicate.
Phrasal Verbs:
hit on Slang
To pay unsolicited romantic attention to: can't go into a bar lately without being hit on.
hit up Slang
To approach and ask (someone) for something, especially for money: tried to hit me up for a loan.
hit it big Slang
To be successful: investors who hit it big on the stock market.
hit it off Informal
To get along well together.
hit the books Informal
To study, especially with concentrated effort.
hit the bottle/booze/sauce Slang
To engage in drinking alcoholic beverages.
hit the bricks Slang
To go on strike.
hit the fan Slang
To have serious, usually adverse consequences.
hit the ground running Informal
To begin a venture with great energy, involvement, and competence.
hit the hay/sack Slang
To go to bed: hit the hay well before midnight.
hit the high points/spots
To direct attention to the most important points or places.
hit the jackpot
To become highly and unexpectedly successful, especially to win a great deal of money.
hit the nail on the head
To be absolutely right.
hit the road Slang
To set out, as on a trip; leave.
hit the roof/ceiling Slang
To express anger, especially vehemently.
hit the spot
To give total or desired satisfaction, as food or drink.
hit the wall
1. To become suddenly and extremely fatigued, especially when participating in an endurance sport, such as running.
2. To lose effectiveness suddenly or come to an end: The stock rally hit the wall when interest rates rose.

[Middle English hitten, from Old English hyttan, from Old Norse hitta.]

hit′less adj.
hit′ta·ble adj.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.hitting - the act of contacting one thing with anotherhitting - the act of contacting one thing with another; "repeated hitting raised a large bruise"; "after three misses she finally got a hit"
touching, touch - the act of putting two things together with no space between them; "at his touch the room filled with lights"
contusion - the action of bruising; "the bruise resulted from a contusion"
crash, smash - the act of colliding with something; "his crash through the window"; "the fullback's smash into the defensive line"
bunt - (baseball) the act of hitting a baseball lightly without swinging the bat
fly ball, fly - (baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
ground ball, groundball, grounder, hopper - (baseball) a hit that travels along the ground
header - (soccer) the act of hitting the ball with your head
scorcher, screamer - a very hard hit ball
plunker, plunk - (baseball) hitting a baseball so that it drops suddenly
References in classic literature ?
Like one struggling for release from hands that held him he struck out, hitting George Willard blow after blow on the breast, the neck, the mouth.
I think I can make a shot of it without hitting the man," he answered, never turning his head.
Still came the battery of flowers, almost invariably hitting the mark, and covering the mother's breast with hurts for which she could find no balm in this world, nor knew how to seek it in another.
Meantime, Queequeg's impulsive, indifferent sword, sometimes hitting the woof slantingly, or crookedly, or strongly, or weakly, as the case might be; and by this difference in the concluding blow producing a corresponding contrast in the final aspect of the completed fabric; this savage's sword, thought I, which thus finally shapes and fashions both warp and woof; this easy, indifferent sword must be chance --aye, chance, free will, and necessity --no wise incompatible --all interweavingly working together.
The singer appeared to make up the song to his own pleasure, generally hitting on rhyme, without much attempt at reason; and the party took up the chorus, at intervals,
At last I rose to go to bed, much to the relief of the sleepy waiter, who had got the fidgets in his legs, and was twisting them, and hitting them, and putting them through all kinds of contortions in his small pantry.