2 VERB When one thing hits another, it touches it with a lot of force. □ [V n] The car had apparently hit a traffic sign before skidding out of control.
3 VERB If a bomb or missile hits its target, it reaches it. □ [V n] 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 If something hits a person, place, or thing, it affects them very badly. [JOURNALISM ] □ [V n] The plan to charge motorists £75 a year to use the motorway is going to hit me hard. □ [V n] Spain has been hit by storms since the beginning of the week.
5 VERB When a feeling or an idea hits you, it suddenly affects you or comes into your mind. □ [V n that] It hit me that I had a choice. □ [V n] Then the answer hit me. It had been staring me in the face.
6 VERB If you hit a particular high or low point on a scale of something such as success or health, you reach it. [JOURNALISM ] □ [V n] 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.
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 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. [Also + with ]
11 to hit the headlines → see headline
12 to hit home → see home ➊
13 to hit the nail on the head → see nail
14 to hit the road → see road
15 to hit the roof → see roof
▸ hit back
1 PHRASAL VERB If you hit back when someone hits you, or hit them back , you hit them in return. □ [V P ] Some violent men beat up their sons, until the boys are strong enough to hit back. □ [V n P ] If somebody hit me, I'd hit him back.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you hit back at someone who has criticized or harmed you, you criticize or harm them in return. [JOURNALISM ] □ [V P + at ] The President has hit back at those who have criticised his economic reforms. □ [V P ] The senator hit back with a negative advertisement mocking his 72-year-old rival for being out of touch with computer technology.
▸ hit on or hit upon
1 PHRASAL VERB If you hit on an idea or a solution to a problem, or hit upon it, you think of it. □ [V P n] After running through the numbers in every possible combination, we finally hit on a solution.
2 PHRASAL VERB If someone hits on you, they speak or behave in a way that shows they want to have a sexual relationship with you. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P n] She was hitting on me and I was surprised and flattered.
▸ hit out
1 PHRASAL VERB If you hit out at someone, you try to hit them, although you may miss them. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V P + at ] I used to hit out at my husband and throw things at him. □ [V P ] I had never punched anybody in my life but I hit out and gave him a black eye.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you hit out at someone or something, you criticize them strongly because you do not agree with them. [JOURNALISM ] □ [V P + at/against ] The President took the opportunity to hit out at what he sees as foreign interference. □ [V P ] Brazilian soccer boss Carlos Parreira hit out angrily last night after his side were barred from training at Wembley.
▸ hit upon → see hit on SYNONYMS hit VERB
1
strike: She took two quick steps forward and struck him across the mouth.
punch: He punched the wall angrily, then spun round to face her.
slap: He would push or slap her once in a while.
thump: He thumped my shoulder affectionately, nearly knocking me over.
whack: You really have to whack the ball.
2
collide: Racing up the stairs, he almost collided with Daisy.
bump: He bumped his head on the low beams of the house.
knock: Isabel rose so abruptly that she knocked down her chair.
crash: The door swung inwards to crash against a chest of drawers behind it.
hi t and mi ss 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.
hi t-and-ru n
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A hit-and-run accident is an accident in which the driver of a vehicle hits someone and then drives away without stopping. □ …a hit-and-run driver in a stolen car.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A hit-and-run attack on an enemy position relies on surprise and speed for its success. □ The rebels appear to be making hit-and-run guerrilla style attacks on military targets.
hitch /h I tʃ/ (hitches , hitching , hitched )
1 N‑COUNT A hitch is a slight problem or difficulty which causes a short delay. □ After some technical hitches the show finally got under way. □ The five-hour operation went without a hitch.