Meaning of hit in English

She opened the window and I was hit by an icy blast of air.
Small businesses have been worst hit by the recession.
These new tax arrangements will hit everyone, but especially middle-income families.
I've been having lots of short nights lately and today the lack of sleep has suddenly hit me.
He tries to pretend nothing has happened, but then reality hits him and it's very hard.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Damaging and spoiling

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Thinking and contemplating

hit verb (SHOOT)

[ T often passive ]

to shoot at or bomb a place or person, causing damage or injury:

Two schools were hit during the air raid.

He was hit in the neck by a bullet from a sniper.

Try to hit the middle of the target.

More examplesFewer examples

The bullet hit him and he crumpled into a heap on the floor.
Three soldiers were killed by friendly fire when a mortar bomb hit their truck.
90 percent of the projected missiles will hit their target.
He was hit by a ricochet from a stray bullet.
I had four shots but I didn't even hit the target.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Detonation & bombardment

See more results »

hit verb (REACH)

C1 [ T ]

to arrive at a place or position:

If we turn left at the next junction, we should hit the main road after five miles or so.

C1 [ T ]

to succeed in reaching or achieving something:

Our profits hit an all-time high of $20 million last year.

I just can't hit (= sing) those high notes like I used to.

More examplesFewer examples

The dollar has hit an all-time low against the Japanese yen.
It should be about six o'clock when we hit Birmingham.
The prime minister's opinion poll ratings have hit rock bottom.
Madonna's new single hit the charts today at number 3.
If you keep going in this direction, you will hit the coast eventually.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Arriving, entering and invading

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling

hit verb (SUCCESS)

hit it off informal

to like someone and become friendly immediately:

hit it off with I didn't really hit it off with his friends.

hit verb (ATTACK)

[ T ] mainly US slang

to kill someone:

Three drug dealers were hit in the city over the weekend.

hit verb (SCORE)

[ T ]

in cricket, to score runs:

Walsh hit 10 fours and two sixes in his fourth one-day century.

Yesterday, he faced 74 balls and hit nine fours and two sixes.

[ T ]

in baseball, to hit the ball with a particular result :

He hit a career-high 17 home runs last year.

In her first at bat, she hit a single.

[ T ]

in baseball, to have a particular batting average (= a number that represents how often a player successfully hits the ball compared to the number of times they have a chance to hit the ball):

He hit .372 with 6 home runs, 14 RBIs, and 15 runs scored.

More examplesFewer examples

She hit a six to reach her century.
Ramirez hit his second homer of the night to cut the lead to 4–2.
Gomez hit a pop fly to the shortstop.
He hit .521 as a senior and was named the state's player of the year.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Winning, losing & scoring in sport

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Baseball & rounders

Cricket

Idioms

hit someone between the eyes
hit someone where it hurts
hit home
hit the books
hit the bottle
hit the ceiling/roof
hit the deck
hit the ground running
hit the hay/sack
hit the headlines

More idioms

hit the jackpot
hit the nail on the head
hit the road
hit the spot
hit a wall
hit the wall
not know what hit you

Phrasal verbs

hit back
hit on someone
hit on/upon something
hit out
hit someone up

hit

noun [ C ]

/hɪt/ us

/hɪt/

hit noun [C] (SUCCESS)

a thing or person that is very popular or successful:

The Beatles had a string of number-one hits in the 1960s.

Your cake was a real hit at the party - everyone commented.

greatest hits They've just released an album of their greatest hits (= their most successful songs).

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

someone or something that becomes popular, wealthy, or has achieved a lot

successThe new TV series was a wild success.
a roaring successHer third album was a roaring success and went platinum.
hitDinner was a hit with the kids.
triumphThe court verdict was a triumph for all abuse victims.
winWhat can we do to get a win out of this situation?

See more results »

More examplesFewer examples

The Beatles' first hit was "Love Me Do".
Her last film was a surprise box-office hit.
The new album contains some carefully-wrought new songs and a number of familiar hits.
He had a string of top-20 hits during the 80s.
We'll take a nostalgic look at the musical hits of the 60s.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Successful (things or people)

See more results »

hit noun [C] (INTERNET)

a request to use a web page on the internet that is then counted to calculate the number of people looking at the page:

Our page had 243 hits this week.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Internet terminology

See more results »

hit noun [C] (TOUCH)

the act of hitting something or someone, or an occasion when something or someone hits you:

hit on She gave him a hit on the head which knocked him flying.

in baseball, when the batter (= person trying to hit the ball) safely reaches first base after hitting the ball

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Hitting and beating

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Baseball & rounders

hit noun [C] (SHOOT)

an occasion when something that has been thrown, dropped, shot, etc. at a place or object reaches that place or object:

direct hit The rebel headquarters took a direct hit from a bomb during the attack.

I scored a hit on my second shot.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Detonation & bombardment

See more results »

hit noun [C] (ATTACK)

mainly US slang

an act of murder:

He was the victim of a mafia hit.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Murder & attempted murder

See more results »

Idiom

be a hit with someone

(Definition of hit from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

hit | American Dictionary

hit

verb [ T ]

/hɪt/

hit verb [T] (TOUCH FORCEFULLY)

Add to word list Add to word list

present participle hitting | past tense and past participle hit

to touch quickly and forcefully, with the hand or an object:

Don’t hit your little brother!

They were throwing rocks, and one of the rocks hit a window and broke it.

She must have fallen asleep, and the car hit a tree.

present participle hitting | past tense and past participle hit

If something hits part of your body, or you hit it, you come up against it by accident:

He’s so tall he keeps hitting his head when he goes through a doorway.

present participle hitting | past tense and past participle hit

Someone who is hit by a bullet or explosive weapon is injured by it:

One journalist was hit in the leg by a stray bullet.

hit verb [T] (HAVE EFFECT)

present participle hitting | past tense and past participle hit

to have an unpleasant or negative effect on a person or thing:

Commuters are going to be hit hard by the rise in gasoline prices.

present participle hitting | past tense and past participle hit

infml If an important fact hits you, you suddenly understand the meaning of it:

It just hit me that once she leaves, I may never see her again.

hit verb [T] (ARRIVE AT)

infml present participle hitting | past tense and past participle hit

to arrive at a place, position, or state:

The company’s profits hit an all-time high last year.

hit verb [T] (BASEBALL)

to make a thrown baseball move within the playing area by touching it with a bat (= stick):

Rodriguez hit a high fly ball that was caught by the shortstop.

Idioms

hit home
hit it off (with someone)
hit the books
hit the deck
hit the ground running
hit the jackpot
hit the nail on the head
hit the road
hit the roof
hit the sack

More idioms

hit the skids

something hits the spot

Phrasal verbs

hit back
hit on someone
hit on/upon something
hit up someone

hit

noun [ C ]

/hɪt/

hit noun [C] (SUCCESS)

someone or something that is very popular or successful:

The musical is one of the biggest hits on Broadway.

hit noun [C] (BASEBALL)

a base hit:

Jason had three hits in four times at bat.

hit noun [C] (FORCEFUL TOUCH)

the act of hitting someone or something, or an occasion when someone or something is hit:

The hospital took a direct hit from a bomb.

(Definition of hit from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

hit | Business English

hit

verb

/hɪt/ us

-tt- | hit

Add to word list Add to word list

[ I or T ]

to have an unpleasant or negative effect on someone or something :

Rising fuel costs hit industrial and rural areas worst.

Companies tend to be slow to lay off employees when hard times hit, but they are quicker to cease hiring.

be hit by sth Oil firms have been hit by a 10% increase in petroleum tax.

be hit with sth A tractor made in the United States and shipped to Chile is hit with $25,000 in tariffs and duties.

[ T ]

to reach a particular level or amount, especially a very high or very low one:

Sales hit $300 million within the first three years.

hit an all-time/a record high/low Last week property shares hit a record low.

The company is very capable of hitting its targets well ahead of schedule.

[ T ] informal

to experience a difficult situation or stop making progress with something:

Talks between the bosses and the union yesterday hit a major setback.

The project began smoothly, but then we began to hit some problems.

hit the market/shops/shelves

informal

to become available for people to buy:

Although the toys are only just now hitting the market, a huge advertising campaign has been in place for several months.

be hit hard/be hard hit (by sth)

to be badly affected by something:

Car makers were among the hardest hit as consumers bought fewer vehicles last month.

The area has been hit hard by job losses in textiles and furniture.

hit a wall

to reach a point at which no more progress can be made:

The energy bill is expected to hit a wall in the Senate, where Republicans have enough votes to block it.

hit bottom

informal

to reach an extremely low level:

The U.S. economy is beginning to show signs that it is hitting bottom and that a turnaround could get underway later this year.

hit it big

informal

to become very successful:

The company hit it big when they received an order for three commercial satellites.

hit the buffers

mainly UK informal

to suddenly stop being successful or stop happening:

The main worry is that the economy might hit the buffers.

Their plans to become one of the world's largest telecoms firms has hit the buffers.

hit the ground running

informal

to immediately work hard and successfully at a new activity:

Companies often expect staff to hit the ground running.

hit the headlines

to receive a lot of attention in news reports:

He hit the headlines when he sold a million shares at £5.80 a share.

hit the jackpot

to achieve financial success:

They need a licensing deal to a big drug company before judging if their biotech venture has hit the jackpot.

hit the wall US

to be a financial failure:

The question mark is whether the company is going to hit the wall.

Phrasal verbs

hit back

hit sb up (for sth)/hit sb for sth

hit

noun [ C ]

/hɪt/ us

a thing or person that is very popular or successful:

a hit with sb/sth The Mexican restaurant is a huge hit with locals, who swear by the Mexican pizzas and fried bread dishes.

Plans call for doubling both the workforce and production if the vehicles prove a hit.

E-COMMERCE, MARKETING

a visit to a particular website on the internet, which is then counted to calculate the number of people who see the website:

attract/get/receive hits The site typically gets an average of about 400,000 hits a day.

something that has an unpleasant or negative effect on a person or thing:

a hit to sth Investors are worried about the direct hit to consumer confidence.

For some businesses, the financial hit was substantial.

take a hit

to be badly affected by a difficult situation or problem:

Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of the nation's economic activity, so when consumers take a hit, so does the economy.

to have to pay an unusual cost:

The company recently took a hit to the tune of $4 million in health insurance costs.

What is the pronunciation of hit?

Translations of hit

in Chinese (Traditional)

接觸, 擊，打, 碰撞…

in Chinese (Simplified)

接触, 击，打, 碰撞…

in Spanish

golpear, afectar, éxito…

in Portuguese

bater, golpear, atingir…

in more languages

in Marathi

in Japanese

in Turkish

in French

in Catalan

in Dutch

in Tamil

in Hindi

in Gujarati

in Danish

in Swedish

in Malay

in German

in Norwegian

in Urdu

in Ukrainian

in Telugu

in Bengali

in Czech

in Indonesian

in Thai

in Vietnamese

in Polish

in Korean

in Italian

आपटणे, धडकणे, मार खाणे…

～を打つ, たたく, ～に打撃を与える…

vurmak, dürtmek, çarpmak…

frapper, heurter, toucher…

copejar, afectar, èxit…

raken, treffen, slaan…

உங்கள் கை அல்லது ஒரு பொருளை எதையாவது மேற்பரப்பில் நகர்த்த, அதனால் அதைத் தொடும், பொதுவாக சக்தியுடன் / அழுத்தத்துடன்…

(प्रायः हाथ या किसी वस्तु से ज़ोर से) मारना, टकराना, बुरा असर पड़ना…

મારવું, પ્રહાર, ફટકો.…

slå, ramme, træf…

träffa, slå, köra (krocka) emot…

mengenai, melanggar, memukul…

schlagen, treffen, stoßen…

slå, treffe, ramme…

مارنا, جڑنا, پڑنا…

ударяти, забивати, вдаряти…

కొట్టటం, కొట్టటం/ తగలటం, దెబ్బతీయు…

আঘাত করা, আপনার হাত বা কোনো বস্তুকে কোনো কিছুর উপরিভাগে নিয়ে যাওয়া যাতে এটি স্পর্শ করে, সাধারণত জোর করে…

udeřit se, odpálit, postihnout…

menghantam, mengenai, memukul…

กระแทก, ชน, ตี…

đánh, đấm, nện…

uderzyć, uderzyć (w), trafić…

-을 치다, -에게 (나쁜)영향을 가하다, 히트…

colpire, canzone, film…

Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

history of something

histrionic

histrionically

histrionics

hit

hit (your) full stride idiom

hit a home run

hit a wall idiom

hit and run

Meaning of hit in English

hit verb (TOUCH)

hit verb (EFFECT)

hit verb (SHOOT)

hit verb (REACH)

hit verb (SUCCESS)

hit verb (ATTACK)

hit verb (SCORE)

Idioms

Phrasal verbs

hit noun [C] (SUCCESS)

hit noun [C] (INTERNET)

hit noun [C] (TOUCH)

hit noun [C] (SHOOT)

hit noun [C] (ATTACK)

Idiom

hit | American Dictionary

hit verb [T] (TOUCH FORCEFULLY)

hit verb [T] (HAVE EFFECT)

hit verb [T] (ARRIVE AT)

hit verb [T] (BASEBALL)

Idioms

Phrasal verbs

hit noun [C] (SUCCESS)

hit noun [C] (BASEBALL)

hit noun [C] (FORCEFUL TOUCH)

hit | Business English

Phrasal verbs

Translations of hit

Browse

Learn more with +Plus

Learn more with +Plus