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hit

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verb American English pronunciation: hit /hɪt/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theyhit
he/she/ithits
present participlehitting
past tensehit
past participlehit
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to move your hand or an object onto someone's body with great force, so that you hurt them

    Don't hit your brother!

    hit someone on the shoulder/cheek/arm etc.:

    He hit me on the shoulder.

    hit someone with something:

    James was hit with a baseball bat.

    hit someone in the face/eye/stomach:

    They hit me in the stomach.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
    1. a.
      if a vehicle hits someone or something, it moves against them with great force

      She was hit by a speeding car.

      The truck hit the wall.

      My car was hit from behind.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
    2. b.
      to move quickly onto an object or surface, touching it with force

      She threw her glass across the room and it hit the wall.

      hit your head/knee/arm etc. on/against something:

      It's thought he may have fallen and hit his head on the curb.

      hit the ground/floor (=fall to the ground):

      Try to roll as you hit the ground.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
    3. c.
      to deliberately move an object so that it touches another object with force
      hit something with something:

      The youngest child was hitting the table with a toy hammer.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
    4. d.
      if something such as a bullet or bomb hits someone or something, it lands on them

      She was hit by a stray bullet.

      According to first reports, some bombs have hit schools and hospitals.

      hit the target/bullseye:

      None of the missiles hit their target.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
    5. e.
      to use something such as a bat to make a ball move

      He hit the ball into the outfield.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
  2. 2
    [transitive] if an idea or the truth hits you, you suddenly realize it

    It suddenly hit her that she would never see him again.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
  3. 3
    [transitive] informal to reach a particular state

    a singer who hit the big time (=became very successful) in 1998

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
    1. a.
      to reach a particular amount, level, or age

      She hits forty this year and we're planning a big party.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
  4. 4
    [transitive] spoken to press something such as a switch on a machine, vehicle, or computer in order to make it do something

    She hit the brakes too late and the car skidded.

    Just hit the Save button every few minutes.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
  6. 6
    [intransitive/transitive] to suddenly start to affect someone or something

    Many houses have been without water since the storm hit.

    The craze hit California in 1951.

    He gasped as the pain hit him.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
  7. 7
    [transitive] informal to reach a place, especially on your way to somewhere else

    When you hit the traffic lights, turn left.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
  8. 8
    [transitive] informal to have a problem when you are trying to do something
    hit a problem/bad patch:

    We hit a problem when we tried to print the document.

    The talks appear to have hit a snag.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit
  9. 9
    [transitive] [often passive] to have a bad effect on someone or something
    be hard/badly hit:

    Local businesses have been hard hit by the recession.

    The people this legislation will hit the hardest are the poor.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hit

phrases

This is the American English definition of hit. View British English definition of hit.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

View the pronunciation for hit.

 

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