hit
♦♦♦ hit /h'ɪt/ (hits hitting)
The form hit is used in the present tense and is the past and present participle.
1 [VERB] V n, V n
If you hit someone or something, you deliberately touch them with a lot of force, with your hand or an object held in your hand.
Find the exact grip that allows you to hit the ball hard...
Police at the scene said Dr Mahgoub had been hit several times in the head.
= strike
2 [VERB] V n
When one thing hits another, it touches it with a lot of force.
The car had apparently hit a traffic sign before skidding out of control...
= strike
3 [VERB] V n
If a bomb or missile hits its target, it reaches it.
The hospital had been hit with heavy artillery fire.
[N-COUNT]
Hit is also a noun.
First a house took a direct hit and then the rocket exploded.
4 [VERB] V n, V n
If something hits a person, place, or thing, it affects them very badly. (JOURNALISM)
The plan to charge motorists £75 a year to use the motorway is going to hit me hard...
About two-hundred people died in the earthquake which hit northern Peru...
5 [VERB] it V n that, V n
When a feeling or an idea hits you, it suddenly affects you or comes into your mind.
It hit me that I had a choice...
Then the answer hit me. It had been staring me in the face.
6 [VERB] V n
If you hit a particular high or low point on a scale of something such as success or health, you reach it. (JOURNALISM)
Oil prices hit record levels yesterday.
7 [N-COUNT] oft N n
If a CD, film, or play is a hit, it is very popular and successful.
The song became a massive hit in 1945.
≠ flop
8 [N-COUNT]
A hit is a single visit to a website. (COMPUTING)
Our small company has had 78,000 hits on its Internet pages.
9 [N-COUNT]
If someone who is searching for information on the Internet gets a hit, they find a website where there is that information.
10 [PHRASE] V inflects, pl-n PHR, PHR with n
If two people hit it off, they like each other and become friendly as soon as they meet. (INFORMAL)
They hit it off straight away, Daddy and Walter...
11
to hit the headlines: see headline
to hit home: see home
to hit the nail on the head: see nail
to hit the road: see road
to hit the roof: see roofdi|rect hit (direct hits)
[N-COUNT]
If a place suffers a direct hit, a bomb, bullet, or other missile that has been aimed at it lands exactly in that place, rather than some distance away.
The dug-outs were secure from everything but a direct hit.hit and miss
also hit-and-miss
[ADJ]
If something is hit and miss or hit or miss, it is sometimes successful and sometimes not.
Farming can be very much a hit-and-miss affair.hit back
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P
If you hit back when someone hits you, or hit them back, you hit them in return.
Some violent men beat up their sons, until the boys are strong enough to hit back...
If somebody hit me, I'd hit him back.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at n, V P
If you hit back at someone who has criticized or harmed you, you criticize or harm them in return. (JOURNALISM)
The President has hit back at those who have criticised his economic reforms...
British Rail immediately hit back with their own cheap fares scheme.
= strike backhit list (hit lists)
1 [N-COUNT] oft poss N, N of n
If someone has a hit list of people or things, they are intending to take action concerning those people or things.
Some banks also have a hit list of people whom they threaten to sue for damages.
2 [N-COUNT]
A hit list is a list that someone makes of people they intend to have killed.hit on
or hit upon
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you hit on an idea or a solution to a problem, or hit upon it, you think of it.
After running through the numbers in every possible combination, we finally hit on a solution.
= stumble on
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If someone hits on you, they speak or behave in a way that shows they want to have a sexual relationship with you. (INFORMAL)
She was hitting on me and I was surprised and flattered.hit or miss
see hit and misshit out
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at n, V P
If you hit out at someone, you try to hit them, although you may miss them. (mainly BRIT)
I used to hit out at my husband and throw things at him...
I had never punched anybody in my life but I hit out and gave him a black eye.
= lash out
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at/against n, V P
If you hit out at someone or something, you criticize them strongly because you do not agree with them. (JOURNALISM)
The President took the opportunity to hit out at what he sees as foreign interference...
Brazilian soccer boss Carlos Parreira hit out angrily last night after his side were barred from training at Wembley.
= lash outhit pa|rade
[N-SING] the N
The hit parade is the list of CDs which have sold most copies over the previous week or month. (OLD-FASHIONED)
= chartshit upon
see hit onsmash hit (smash hits)
[N-COUNT]
A smash hit or a smash is a very popular show, play, or song.
The show was a smash hit.
The form hit is used in the present tense and is the past and present participle.
1 [VERB] V n, V n
If you hit someone or something, you deliberately touch them with a lot of force, with your hand or an object held in your hand.
Find the exact grip that allows you to hit the ball hard...
Police at the scene said Dr Mahgoub had been hit several times in the head.
= strike
2 [VERB] V n
When one thing hits another, it touches it with a lot of force.
The car had apparently hit a traffic sign before skidding out of control...
= strike
3 [VERB] V n
If a bomb or missile hits its target, it reaches it.
The hospital had been hit with heavy artillery fire.
[N-COUNT]
Hit is also a noun.
First a house took a direct hit and then the rocket exploded.
4 [VERB] V n, V n
If something hits a person, place, or thing, it affects them very badly. (JOURNALISM)
The plan to charge motorists £75 a year to use the motorway is going to hit me hard...
About two-hundred people died in the earthquake which hit northern Peru...
5 [VERB] it V n that, V n
When a feeling or an idea hits you, it suddenly affects you or comes into your mind.
It hit me that I had a choice...
Then the answer hit me. It had been staring me in the face.
6 [VERB] V n
If you hit a particular high or low point on a scale of something such as success or health, you reach it. (JOURNALISM)
Oil prices hit record levels yesterday.
7 [N-COUNT] oft N n
If a CD, film, or play is a hit, it is very popular and successful.
The song became a massive hit in 1945.
≠ flop
8 [N-COUNT]
A hit is a single visit to a website. (COMPUTING)
Our small company has had 78,000 hits on its Internet pages.
9 [N-COUNT]
If someone who is searching for information on the Internet gets a hit, they find a website where there is that information.
10 [PHRASE] V inflects, pl-n PHR, PHR with n
If two people hit it off, they like each other and become friendly as soon as they meet. (INFORMAL)
They hit it off straight away, Daddy and Walter...
11
to hit the headlines: see headline
to hit home: see home
to hit the nail on the head: see nail
to hit the road: see road
to hit the roof: see roofdi|rect hit (direct hits)
[N-COUNT]
If a place suffers a direct hit, a bomb, bullet, or other missile that has been aimed at it lands exactly in that place, rather than some distance away.
The dug-outs were secure from everything but a direct hit.hit and miss
also hit-and-miss
[ADJ]
If something is hit and miss or hit or miss, it is sometimes successful and sometimes not.
Farming can be very much a hit-and-miss affair.hit back
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P
If you hit back when someone hits you, or hit them back, you hit them in return.
Some violent men beat up their sons, until the boys are strong enough to hit back...
If somebody hit me, I'd hit him back.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at n, V P
If you hit back at someone who has criticized or harmed you, you criticize or harm them in return. (JOURNALISM)
The President has hit back at those who have criticised his economic reforms...
British Rail immediately hit back with their own cheap fares scheme.
= strike backhit list (hit lists)
1 [N-COUNT] oft poss N, N of n
If someone has a hit list of people or things, they are intending to take action concerning those people or things.
Some banks also have a hit list of people whom they threaten to sue for damages.
2 [N-COUNT]
A hit list is a list that someone makes of people they intend to have killed.hit on
or hit upon
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you hit on an idea or a solution to a problem, or hit upon it, you think of it.
After running through the numbers in every possible combination, we finally hit on a solution.
= stumble on
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If someone hits on you, they speak or behave in a way that shows they want to have a sexual relationship with you. (INFORMAL)
She was hitting on me and I was surprised and flattered.hit or miss
see hit and misshit out
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at n, V P
If you hit out at someone, you try to hit them, although you may miss them. (mainly BRIT)
I used to hit out at my husband and throw things at him...
I had never punched anybody in my life but I hit out and gave him a black eye.
= lash out
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at/against n, V P
If you hit out at someone or something, you criticize them strongly because you do not agree with them. (JOURNALISM)
The President took the opportunity to hit out at what he sees as foreign interference...
Brazilian soccer boss Carlos Parreira hit out angrily last night after his side were barred from training at Wembley.
= lash outhit pa|rade
[N-SING] the N
The hit parade is the list of CDs which have sold most copies over the previous week or month. (OLD-FASHIONED)
= chartshit upon
see hit onsmash hit (smash hits)
[N-COUNT]
A smash hit or a smash is a very popular show, play, or song.
The show was a smash hit.