Hit — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈhit/

Meaning & Definition of Hit

Hit (verb)

  1. to reach with or as if with a sudden blow
  2. to come in quick forceful contact with
  3. to strike (something, such as a ball) with an object (such as a bat, club, or racket) so as to impart or redirect motion

Hit (noun)

  1. an act or instance of striking or forcefully coming in contact with someone or something, an act or instance of hitting or being hit
  2. a stroke of luck
  3. a great success

Hit (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner

    "a good carpenter hits a nail just two or three times to drive it in"

    similar: bang, bash, bat, belt, biff, bludgeon, bob, bonk, bop, box, bust, clap, clip, clobber, clock, clout, crack, hammer, knock, nail, paste, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smite, sock, strike, swat, swipe, tag, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale, zap, hang one on
    related: batter, beat, buffet, bung, chop, cuff, drub, lace, lambaste, lick, mangle, maul, pelt, pepper, pommel, pummel, rough, scuff, bunt, flick, stroke, tap, bump, butt, jab, jostle, kick, knee, poke, prod, push, shove, stamp, bowl (down or over), cream, deck, dump (slang), fell, floor, knock down, level, rabbit-punch, sucker punch, cane, club, cudgel, flail, flog, lash, sap, slash, sledge, sledgehammer, spear, stab, switch, thrash, whip, bean, brain, conk, skull

  2. to come into usually forceful contact with something

    "when she fell on the ice, she hit hard and badly bruised her elbow"

    similar: bang, bash, bump, collide, crash, impact, impinge, knock, ram, slam, smash, strike, swipe, thud
    related: bounce, carom, clunk, glance, rebound, ricochet, skim, skip, contact, land, touch, brush, graze, kiss, nudge, scrape, shave, sweep, bulldoze, jostle, muscle, press, push
    near: miss, skirt

  3. to obtain (as a goal) through effort

    "the rock band hit the big time with their third album"

    similar: achieve, attain, bag, chalk up, clock (up) (chiefly British), gain, log, make, notch (up), rack up, ring up, score, win
    related: acquire, capture, carry, draw, garner, get, land, obtain, procure, realize, secure, amount (to), approach, equal, match, measure up (to), meet, rival, tie, touch, beat, excel, outdo, surpass, top
    near: fall short (of), miss, fail (at), lose

Hit (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person or thing that is successful

    "the new babysitter turned out to be a hit with the kids"

    similar: blockbuster, megahit, smash, success, supernova, winner
    related: blue chip, blue chipper, corker, crackerjack, dandy, jim-dandy, pip, prizewinner, gem, jewel, treasure, marvel, natural, phenomenon, sensation, wonder, coup, triumph, victory
    opposite: bomb, bummer, bust, catastrophe, clinker, debacle, dud, failure, fiasco, flop, misfire, turkey, washout
    near: disappointment, fizzle, lemon, loser

  2. a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument

    "the quarterback can't take too many more hits like that and escape permanent injury"

    similar: bang, bash, bat, beat, belt, biff, blow, bop, box, buffet, bust, chop, clap, clip, clout, crack, cuff, dab, douse (British), fillip, hack, haymaker, hook, knock, larrup (dialect), lash, lick, pelt, pick, plump, poke, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slug, smack, smash, sock, spank, stinger, stripe, stroke, swat, swipe, switch, thud, thump, thwack, wallop, welt, whack, wham, whop
    related: counter, counterblow, counterpunch, counterstroke, body blow, hand, kick, knee, left, one-two, rabbit punch, right, right-hander, roundhouse, shiver, sidewinder, sucker punch, swing, uppercut, cruncher, kayo, knockdown, knockout, KO, bastinado, battering, beating, bludgeoning, clobbering, cudgeling, drubbing, hammering, lambasting, licking, pasting, pounding, pummeling, thrashing, flogging, walloping, whip, whipping

Related Entry: Hit (on or upon) (verb)

Hit (on or upon) is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit (on or upon), not for hit.

  1. to come upon after searching, study, or effort

    "the doctor finally hit on what was wrong with the pain-wracked woman"

    similar: ascertain, descry, detect, determine, dig out, dig up, discover, dredge (up), ferret (out), find, find out, get, hunt (down or up), learn, locate, nose out, root (out), rout (out), rummage, run down, scare up, scout (up), track (down), turn up
    related: espy, sight, spot, look for, search (for or out), seek
    opposite: miss, overlook, pass over
    near: lose, mislay, misplace, misset

Related Entry: Hit (up) (verb)

Hit (up) is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit (up), not for hit.

  1. to make a request of

    "she's always hitting me up for money"

    similar: ask, request, solicit, call on
    related: appeal (to), beg, beseech, conjure, entreat, implore, importune, invite, invoke, petition, plead (to), pray, supplicate, demand, enjoin, exact, press, require
    near: coerce, compel, constrain, force, oblige, require

Related Entry: Hit (upon) (verb)

Hit (upon) is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit (upon), not for hit.

  1. 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"

    similar: chance (upon), encounter, find, happen (on or upon), light (on or upon), meet, pitch (upon), stumble (on or onto), tumble (upon), bump into, come across, run across, run against, run into, run upon
    related: luck (out, on, onto, or into), confront, face, discover, strike, turn up

Related Entry: Hit-or-miss (adjective)

Hit-or-miss is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit-or-miss, not for hit.

  1. lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern

    "your hit-or-miss schedule for taking your medication is going to land you in the hospital again"

    similar: aimless, arbitrary, catch-as-catch-can, desultory, erratic, haphazard, helter-skelter, random, scattered, slapdash, stray
    related: accidental, casual, chance, chancy, contingent, fluky, fortuitous, inadvertent, incidental, lucky, unconsidered, unintended, unintentional, unplanned, unpremeditated, scattershot, shotgun, irregular, odd, sporadic, spot, directionless, objectless, purposeless, indiscriminate, unsystematic, undirected, disorderly, disorganized, undiscriminating, unselective
    opposite: methodical, nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized
    near: established, fixed, regular, set, stable, steady, constant, continuous, even, arranged, managed, orchestrated, ordered, planned, aware, conscious, deliberate, purposeful, thoughtful, willful

Related Entry: Hit or miss (adverb)

Hit or miss is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit or miss, not for hit.

  1. without definite aim, direction, rule, or method

    "I was learning Spanish hit or miss, mostly just by hearing my friends speak it"

    similar: aimlessly, anyhow, anyway, anywise, desultorily, erratically, haphazard, haphazardly, helter-skelter, irregularly, randomly, willy-nilly, at random
    related: arbitrarily, capriciously, carelessly, casually, indiscriminately, informally, offhand, offhandedly, promiscuously, whimsically, accidentally, fortuitously, inadvertently, unconsciously, unintentionally, unwittingly, disconnectedly, disjointedly, fitfully, intermittently, spottily, unpredictably, higgledy-piggledy, topsy-turvy
    opposite: methodically, systematically
    near: carefully, formally, gingerly, meticulously, orderly, punctiliously, deliberately, intentionally, purposefully, purposely

Related Entry: Hit it big (phrase)

Hit it big is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit it big, not for hit.

  1. to reach a desired level of accomplishment

    "After years of obscurity, the writer finally hit it big with her latest novel."

    similar: arrive, flourish, prosper, succeed, thrive, come into one's own, cut it, cut the mustard, get ahead, get somewhere, get there, hack it, make good, make it, make one's mark, make the grade
    related: prevail, triumph, win, excel
    opposite: fail
    near: flounder, struggle

Related Entry: Hit it off (phrase)

Hit it off is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit it off, not for hit.

  1. to form a close personal relationship

    "She really hit it off with the new hire at work."

    similar: bond, click, commune, relate
    related: befriend, empathize, identify, sympathize

Related Entry: Hit the bottle (phrase)

Hit the bottle is a different word from Hit. The synonyms below are for hit the bottle, not for hit.

  1. to partake excessively of alcoholic beverages

    "He told others in the group about how he used to immediately hit the bottle after work."

    similar: bib, booze, drink, guzzle, liquor (up), lush (up) (slang), soak, tipple, booze it up
    related: carouse, revel, imbibe, nip
    near: abstain

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hit

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hit:

Chiefly British: clock (up)
British: douse
Dialect: larrup
bang, bash, bat, belt, biff, bludgeon, bob, bonk, bop, box, bust, clap, clip, clobber, clock, clout, crack, hammer, knock, nail, paste, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smite, sock, strike, swat, swipe, tag, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hit

Words with the opposite meaning of Hit:

bomb, bummer, bust, catastrophe, clinker, debacle, dud, failure, fiasco, flop, misfire, turkey, washout

Related Words for Hit

batter, bung, drub, lace, lambaste, mangle, maul, pepper, pommel, pummel, rough, scuff, bunt, flick, tap, butt, jab, jostle, kick, knee, prod, push, shove, stamp, bowl (down or over), cream, deck, dump, fell, floor

Near Antonyms of Hit

miss, skirt, fall short (of), fail (at), lose, disappointment, fizzle, lemon, loser

Word Forms of Hit

Inflections: hitting

Derived words: hitter (noun), hitless (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Hit

Middle English, from Old English hyttan, probably from Old Norse hitta to meet with, hit

First known use: before 12th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Hit

Words & Phrases Containing Hit

hit-and-miss, hit-and-run, hit it big, hit it off, hit list, hit man

Frequently Asked Questions about Hit

What does "Hit" mean?

"Hit" means to reach with or as if with a sudden blow. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to reach with or as if with a sudden blow. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hit"?

Other words for "Hit" include bang, bash, bat, belt, biff, bludgeon, bob and bonk. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hit" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hit"?

There are 245 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hit". Common alternatives include bang, bash, bat, belt, biff, bludgeon, bob, bonk, bop and box.

What is the opposite of "Hit"?

Antonyms of "Hit" include bomb, bummer, bust, catastrophe, clinker, debacle, dud and failure. Near antonyms include miss, skirt, fall short (of) and fail (at).

How do you use "Hit" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hit" in a sentence: "a good carpenter hits a nail just two or three times to drive it in"; "when she fell on the ice, she hit hard and badly bruised her elbow"; "the rock band hit the big time with their third album".

Is "Hit" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hit" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Hit" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Hit" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Hit"?

"Hit" is pronounced /ˈhit/.