hits
hits — verb
- hitspresent simple I / you / we / they
- hitses3rd person singular
- hitsing-ing form
- hitsedpast simple
1. to deliberately bring a body part or held item into sudden forceful contact with
to deliberately bring a body part or held item into sudden forceful contact with the surface of a person or thing
Tamar hit the nail with a hammer until it went into the wall.
hit + object: nail + with: hammer
Adaeze accidentally hit her younger brother when she swung the tennis racket.
The old wooden table was hit so many times that a crack appeared on its surface.
passive: was hit by repeated force
Vivek hit the punching bag fifty times as part of his morning workout routine.
A child should never be hit as a way of being punished for bad behaviour.
passive + negative prohibition
- hit hard
- hit with
- hit against
- hit on
- miss
to fail to make contact with the intended target
Grammar Patterns
hit + noun/pronoun (transitive)
hit + adverb (intransitive)
Usage Note
Frequently used with a prepositional phrase beginning with 'with' to name the object used for hitting, as in 'hit the ball with a bat'.
Common Mistakes
2. to come into sudden forceful contact with something, usually by accident, so tha
to come into sudden forceful contact with something, usually by accident, so that both objects touch or crash into each other
Lucía's bicycle hit a large stone on the path and she nearly fell off.
hit + object on road/path: accidental collision
The red car lost control on the wet road and hit a lamppost near the bus stop.
Zayd slipped on the wet floor and his elbow hit the edge of the counter hard.
body part + hit + object: accidental injury
A tennis ball hit the window of Abigail's room and cracked the glass into pieces.
- hit a/the [object]
- hit against
- hit into
- nearly hit
- almost hit
- crash into
suggests greater damage or speed; often used for vehicles
- strike
more formal; common in news reports about accidents
- bump into
less forceful than 'hit'; can be used for people colliding lightly
- avoid
to successfully steer away from a collision
Grammar Patterns
hit + noun/pronoun (transitive)
hit + against/into/on + noun (intransitive)
Usage Note
When describing two moving objects, 'hit' focuses on the moment of contact rather than the aftermath. For describing the result of collision, use 'crash into' or 'smash into'.
Common Mistakes
3. to cause harm, difficulty, or suffering to someone or something, especially sudd
to cause harm, difficulty, or suffering to someone or something, especially suddenly or unexpectedly — for example, when bad weather, rising prices, or tragic news affects people's lives in a negative way
The sudden rise in food prices hit low-income families the hardest of all.
economic event + hit + group: negative impact
A powerful typhoon hit the coastal villages, destroying hundreds of wooden homes.
The loss of their best player hit the team's morale and they lost the next five games.
abstract loss + hit + abstract object: morale, confidence
Henrik was hit very hard by the news that his application had been rejected.
passive: be hit + by news/events: emotional impact
The recession hit small businesses across the country, forcing many shops to close down.
- hit hard
- hit by [disaster/crisis/news]
- hit [group/person/industry] hardest
- benefit
to have a positive effect on someone or something
Grammar Patterns
hit + noun/pronoun (often impersonal subject: storm, crisis, news, price rise)
Usage Note
Commonly used in passive constructions ('be hit by') to describe who or what suffers the negative effect. The subject is usually an impersonal force such as a natural disaster, economic change, or tragic event.
Common Mistakes
4. if a thought, idea, or realisation hits you, it comes into your mind suddenly an
if a thought, idea, or realisation hits you, it comes into your mind suddenly and unexpectedly, sometimes with a strong sense of surprise
It suddenly hit Maeve that she had left her passport on the kitchen table.
it hits + person + that-clause: sudden realisation
A brilliant idea hit Pim while he was taking a shower in the morning.
It hit Xiu as she was walking home that she had never told her grandmother how much she loved her.
it hits + person + as [circumstance] + that-clause
The full cost of the mistake did not hit Liang until he saw the bank statement.
the [realisation] hits + person + until/then: delayed understanding
- it hits [someone] that
- a thought/idea hits [someone]
- it suddenly hits [someone]
Grammar Patterns
it hits + person + that-clause
a thought/idea hits + person
Usage Note
Unlike 'think of' or 'consider', this sense emphasises the sudden and involuntary nature of the thought. The subject is either the thought itself or 'it' as a dummy subject followed by a that-clause.
Common Mistakes
5. to fire weapons such as guns or bombs at an enemy target or at civilians, intend
to fire weapons such as guns or bombs at an enemy target or at civilians, intending to injure or kill people and wreck buildings
The rebel forces hit the army depot with several rockets late at night.
military force + hit + target + with + weapon
Enemy aircraft hit the railway bridge, cutting off the supply route for weeks.
The missile hit its target with great accuracy, according to the evening news report.
missile/projectile + hit + target: precision strike
During the war, the port was hit three times by bombs dropped from planes.
passive: be hit + by bombs/projectiles
- hit a target
- hit a base
- hit a position
- hit with rockets/missiles
- spare
to refrain from attacking or destroying
Grammar Patterns
hit + target (military: base, ship, building)
Usage Note
In military contexts, 'hit' often suggests the attacker successfully reached the intended target. 'Strike' is the more formal military term for planned attacks.
Common Mistakes
6. to get to a specific location, moment, or measurement — for instance, arriving s
to get to a specific location, moment, or measurement — for instance, arriving somewhere after travelling, or when a recorded number climbs to a particular value
Traffic was terrible, so Baraka did not hit the city centre until after midnight.
hit + place: arrive at a location after travel
The temperature hit forty degrees yesterday, breaking the record for the hottest June day.
temperature/speed/number + hit + value: reach a measurement
Once you hit the main road, turn left and drive for another five kilometres.
imperative: instruction to reach a landmark/road
When the stock market hit a new low, many investors began to sell their shares.
- hit [place]
- hit [speed/temperature/number]
- hit the road
- hit town
- leave
to depart from a place
Grammar Patterns
hit + place/location
hit + speed/level/number
Usage Note
This sense is distinct from sense 7 ('hit a target/achieve a goal'), which focuses on succeeding in attaining an objective. This sense is about physically arriving at a location or a measurable point on a scale.
Common Mistakes
7. to achieve a goal, target, or standard that you have been working toward
to achieve a goal, target, or standard that you have been working toward
Pim hit his sales target two months before the deadline.
hit + target/goal for achieving a planned objective
The company hit a major milestone when it opened its hundredth store.
Heloísa hopes to hit a personal best at next week's swimming competition.
hit + personal best/record
If the film hits its revenue goal, a sequel will be announced.
Vikram hit exactly the score he needed to pass the exam.
- hit a target
- hit a goal
- hit a milestone
- hit a record
- hit a personal best
- miss
to fail to reach a target or goal
- fall short of
to reach a level below the desired goal
Grammar Patterns
hit + noun phrase (target/goal/milestone/record)
Usage Note
Often used with nouns like target, goal, milestone, record, or standard. Not used for abstract personal aspirations — use 'achieve' instead.
8. to immediately like someone you have just met and form a friendly connection wit
to immediately like someone you have just met and form a friendly connection with them
Eshe hit it off with her new roommate the moment they started talking.
hit it off with + person for instant friendship
Karim and Tamar really hit it off at the party last weekend.
The two musicians hit it off right away and decided to form a band.
Eliska was nervous about the job interview, but she hit it off with the manager right away.
- hit it off with
- immediately
- right away
- straight away
- clash
to have a strong disagreement or incompatibility
- not get along
a general lack of friendly relationship
Grammar Patterns
hit it off with + noun phrase
Usage Note
Always used in the fixed phrase 'hit it off (with someone)'. The word 'it' is an essential part of the expression and cannot be dropped.
Common Mistakes
9. to murder someone, especially as a planned killing carried out for payment
to murder someone, especially as a planned killing carried out for payment
According to the witness, the gang hired someone to hit the informant.
The detective believed the victim had been hit by a professional assassin.
passive use: be hit by an assassin for contract killing
In the movie, the mob boss orders his men to hit a rival gang leader.
Gabriel read about a witness who was hit by a crime ring in the news report.
- hire someone to hit
- order a hit
- hit a rival
- contract to hit
- murder
the standard, neutral term for unlawful killing
- assassinate
specifically refers to killing a politically important person
- kill
the most general term; does not imply planning or payment
- spare
to choose not to kill someone when you have the power to do so
Grammar Patterns
hit + noun phrase (person)
Usage Note
This is slang used mainly in crime fiction, news reports about organised crime, and informal speech. Avoid using in formal or academic writing.
10. in the sport of cricket, to earn runs by striking the ball and then running betw
in the sport of cricket, to earn runs by striking the ball and then running between the two sets of wickets
Vikram hit 85 runs in yesterday's match against the local team.
hit + [number] + runs for cricket scoring
Pim has been hitting consistently well this season.
The captain needs to hit a quick fifty to give the team a chance.
hit + a fifty/century (cricket milestones)
Theo hit 150 runs in the weekend match against the city rivals.
Hao hit a quick 30 runs after the lunch break.
- hit runs
- hit a fifty
- hit a century
- hit consistently
Grammar Patterns
hit + [number] + runs
hit + adverb (well/consistently)
Usage Note
Used only in the context of cricket. In baseball, the equivalent terms would be 'get' or 'score' rather than 'hit'.
11. in the sport of baseball, to use a bat to strike the pitched ball, especially ac
in the sport of baseball, to use a bat to strike the pitched ball, especially achieving a particular result like a home run, double, or single
Gabriel hit a double in the bottom of the ninth inning.
hit + [type of hit] in baseball (single/double/home run)
Mark hit the ball straight into the outfield.
Diya hit a home run in her first at-bat of the game.
Karim has been hitting well against left-handed pitchers this season.
- hit a home run
- hit a double
- hit a single
- hit a line drive
- hit the ball
- bat
the standard verb in baseball for the action of being at bat
Grammar Patterns
hit + noun phrase (the ball / a home run / a double)
Usage Note
Often followed by a description of the result (e.g. hit a home run, hit a double, hit a line drive, hit a ground ball).
12. used in baseball statistics to describe a player's performance in reaching base
used in baseball statistics to describe a player's performance in reaching base safely each time they bat, expressed as a decimal number
Hao hit .310 in his first year with the major league team.
hit + [decimal number] for batting average statistic
The catcher is hitting well above .300 this season.
hit above/below + [decimal] for statistical performance
Eliska has been hitting .275 for the past three seasons.
Diya hit .295 during her final season with the minor league team.
- hit .300
- hit above .300
- hit below .250
- hit for average
- have an average of
a more formal, non-sports way to express the same idea
Grammar Patterns
hit + [decimal number]
Usage Note
The batting average is expressed as a decimal between .000 and 1.000. The verb 'hit' is followed directly by the number — no preposition is needed. This sense is only used in baseball statistics.
hits — noun
- hitssingular
- hitsesplural
1. A song, film, television show, product, or performer that is greatly liked by ma
A song, film, television show, product, or performer that is greatly liked by many people and achieves widespread success.
Daichi's latest single became an instant hit across Asia after its release.
be an instant hit — immediate success
The streaming platform's new series was a huge hit with audiences of all ages.
hit + with + [audience group]
Camille's cookbook turned out to be a surprise hit, selling over fifty thousand copies in its first month.
That toy was such a hit among children that stores ran out of stock within days.
hit among [group]
The Broadway musical was a smash hit, earning several awards and standing ovations every night.
smash hit — very big success
- instant hit
- smash hit
- huge hit
- hit with
- hit among
- become a hit
- success
more general; a hit is always a success, but a success is not necessarily a hit (which implies great popularity)
- blockbuster
specifically a very big success, usually a film or show; more informal and dramatic
- sensation
emphasises the excitement and public reaction; slightly more formal
Grammar Patterns
hit + with + [person/group]
be a (big/huge/smash) hit
Usage Note
Often used with adjectives like big, huge, smash, instant, or surprise before the noun. The preposition with introduces the people who love it.
Common Mistakes
2. A single request made by a user's computer to a website's server, counted to mea
A single request made by a user's computer to a website's server, counted to measure the number of times a web page is visited or viewed.
The blog received over ten thousand hits in the first twenty-four hours after the article was posted.
receive + [number] + hits + in + [time period]
Omar checked the website's analytics to see how many hits each page had received that month.
The company's online store recorded a million hits during the holiday sale period.
record + [number of] hits
Each hit on the advertisement page is tracked and recorded by the system automatically.
hit on [page]
- get hits
- receive hits
- record hits
- track hits
- million hits
- thousand hits
- hits per day
Grammar Patterns
get/receive + [number] + hits
[number] + hits + per + [time period]
Usage Note
Usually appears in the plural (hits) when referring to website traffic totals. In modern web analytics, hits and page views are technically different, but in everyday language hits is often used for both.
Common Mistakes
3. An occasion when one thing or person strikes another with force, or the result o
An occasion when one thing or person strikes another with force, or the result of such a strike.
The boxer took a hard hit to the jaw but managed to stay on his feet.
take a hit — receive a blow
Adina felt a sharp hit on her shoulder when a football flew over the fence.
hit on [body part]
The car door had a dent from a direct hit by a shopping cart in the parking lot.
direct hit — precise forceful strike
Soraya heard a loud hit coming from the kitchen and ran to see what had fallen.
The ship suffered several hits from the storm waves before reaching the harbour safely.
suffer + hits + from
- take a hit
- direct hit
- hard hit
- suffer a hit
- deliver a hit
Grammar Patterns
take + a + hit
[something] + takes + a + hit
Usage Note
Frequently used with verbs like take, suffer, receive, or deliver to describe who is hit and who does the hitting. A direct hit means the object struck exactly where aimed.
Common Mistakes
4. In baseball, a play in which the batter hits the ball and makes it to first base
In baseball, a play in which the batter hits the ball and makes it to first base before the fielders can get him out.
Jin got two hits in yesterday's game and helped his team take an early lead.
get + [number] + hit(s) — record successful hits
The shortstop's diving catch prevented what would have been a clean hit into the outfield.
clean hit — well-struck ball
Charlotte recorded three hits out of four at-bats during the championship match.
[number] hits out of [number] at-bats
The batter's line drive was a solid hit that landed between the two outfielders.
- get a hit
- record a hit
- clean hit
- solid hit
- base hit
- hit safely
- out
when the batter fails to reach base safely
Grammar Patterns
get/have + [number] + hit(s)
hit + for + [number] + hits
Usage Note
A technical baseball term. The noun hit is different from the verb — a hit always results in the batter safely reaching base. If the batter is caught out, the play is not a hit. Baseball statistics track hits through numbers like batting average.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'The player has 100 hits this season.' — This sentence is correct. A common error for non-baseball fans is confusing 'hit' with a run or home run. A hit is not the same as scoring a point; it means safely reaching base.
5. An instance in which a thrown, fired, or dropped object successfully reaches its
An instance in which a thrown, fired, or dropped object successfully reaches its intended target.
The archer's first hit landed right in the centre of the bullseye.
Rachid counted twelve hits out of fifteen shots during target practice.
[number] hits out of [number] shots
The missile scored a direct hit on the abandoned warehouse during the training exercise.
score a direct hit on [target]
Pim threw three darts at the board and got two hits on the outer ring.
get + [number] + hits + on [target area]
- direct hit
- score a hit
- get a hit
- hit on target
- hit out of
- strike
more common in military reports; slightly more formal than hit
- direct hit
emphasises that the target was struck exactly where intended
- miss
when the object fails to reach the intended target
Grammar Patterns
score + a + hit
direct + hit + on + [target]
Usage Note
Often used in military, archery, shooting, and game contexts. A direct hit means the object struck the exact intended spot. This sense overlaps with sense 3 (PHYSICAL BLOW) but emphasises reaching a planned target rather than just forceful contact.
Common Mistakes
6. A murder, especially one planned and carried out on the orders of a criminal org
A murder, especially one planned and carried out on the orders of a criminal organisation.
The detective suspected that the victim was the target of a gangland hit.
target of a hit
The police uncovered evidence linking the suspect to a series of contract hits across three states.
contract hit — murder for hire
In the crime drama, the mob boss ordered a hit on the witness before the trial.
order a hit on [someone]
The documentary explored how organised crime carried out professional hits during the nineteen eighties.
- gangland hit
- contract hit
- order a hit
- carry out a hit
- target of a hit
- mafia hit
- contract killing
more formal; murder that is paid for by someone else
- assassination
used for politically motivated killings; more formal and serious in tone
Grammar Patterns
order + a + hit + on + [person]
carry out + a + hit
be + the + target + of + a + hit
Usage Note
Strongly associated with mafia and organised crime vocabulary. Not used for ordinary murders — only those carried out by or for a criminal syndicate. The verb form hit as in "they hit him" shares this same criminal slang register.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
hit 是最通用的字，泛指任何用力觸碰物體或人的動作，口語和書面都常用。strike 比 hit 正式，常用於新聞報導、運動評論或文學描寫中，例如「the storm struck the coast」（暴風雨侵襲海岸）。beat 強調反覆地打，常帶有懲罰或攻擊的意味，例如「beat a drum」（打鼓）或「beat someone up」（痛打某人）。knock 指用手指關節或硬物敲擊，通常有聲音且力道較輕，例如「knock on a door」（敲門）。slap 專指用張開的手掌拍打，通常打在臉頰上，例如「She slapped him across the face.」。punch 則專指用拳頭重擊。選擇哪個字取決於：使用的工具（手掌vs拳頭vs物品）、次數（一下vs反覆）、力道（輕拍vs重擊）以及正式程度（口語vs書面）。
Common collocations
Nouns
- target (目標)
- ball (球)
- record (紀錄)
- goal (目標)
- home run (全壘打)
- milestone (里程碑)
- jackpot (大獎)
- rock bottom (最低點)
Adverbs
- hard (用力地)
- directly (直接地)
- accidentally (意外地)
- repeatedly (反覆地)
- squarely (不偏不倚地)
Phrases
- take a hit (遭受打擊)
- direct hit (直接命中)
- hit someone hard (重創某人)
- hit it off (合得來)
- hit the road (出發上路)
- hit the jackpot (中大獎)
- hit rock bottom (跌到谷底)
- hit or miss (成敗難料)
Prepositions
- on (打在…上)
- against (撞在…上)
- with (用…打)
- by (被…撞到)
- at (朝…打去)
Etymology
The verb 'hit' comes from Old English 'hyttan' (to strike, to meet with), which was borrowed from Old Norse 'hitta' (to come upon, meet). The core idea of forceful encounter or meeting carried over into all later meanings. The noun sense dates from the early 1600s, originally referring to a blow or stroke.
First known use
12th century
12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a Noun