Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd-der. Proto-Indo-European *kh₂id-néh₂-ti Proto-Germanic *hittijaną Old Norse hittader. Old English hyttan Middle English hitten English hit Inherited from Middle English hitten (“to hit, strike, make contact with”), from Old English hittan (“to meet with, come upon, fall in with”), from Old Norse hitta (“to strike, meet”), from Proto-Germanic *hittijaną (“to come upon, find”), from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- (“to fall; fall upon; hit; cut; hew”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian hitte (“to meet”), Dutch hitten (“to hit, encounter”), Danish hitte (“to find”), Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish hitta (“to meet”), Norwegian Nynorsk hitta, hitte (“to meet; to find”), Latin caedō (“to kill”), Albanian qit (“to hit, throw, pull out, release”). Probably also related to Dutch hei (“mallet”), German Heie (“wooden hammer, mallet”). (something very successful): Compare typologically striking, Russian порази́тельный (porazítelʹnyj) (<~ порази́ть (porazítʹ) <~ рази́ть (razítʹ)).
HeadingPhysical To administer a blow to, directly or with a weapon or missile.
One boy hit the other.
Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
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He tried to hit me but I dodged the blow and went out to plot revenge.1922-1927, Frank Harris, My Life and Loves:
Bello: (Shouts) Good, by the rumping jumping general! That's the best bit of news I heard these six weeks. Here, don't keep me waiting, damn you! (He slaps her face) Bello: (Whimpers) You're after hitting me. I'll tell[…]1922 February, James Joyce, “[[Episode 15]]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
I hunted him for half a hour, aiming to learn him to hit a man with a table-leg and then run, but I didn't find him.1934, Robert E. Howard, The Slugger's Game:
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HeadingPhysical To come into contact with forcefully and suddenly.
The ball hit the fence.
a dozen apples, each of them near as large as a Bristol barrel, came tumbling about my ears; one of them hit me on the back as I chanced to stoop, and knocked me down flat on my face.1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag):
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Meanwhile the street boys kept up a shower of mud balls, many of which hit the Doctor, while the rest were distributed upon his assailants.1882, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Doctor Grimshawe's Secret: A romance:
HeadingPhysical To activate a button or key by pressing and releasing it.
Hit the Enter key to continue.
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HeadingPhysical, Slang To kill a person, usually on the instructions of a third party.
Hit him tonight and throw the body in the river.
FREDO: Mikey, why would they ever hit poor old Frankie Five-Angels? I loved that ole sonuvabitch.1973, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II (screenplay, second draft)
We hit Detroit at one in the morning but kept driving through the night.
As soon as we hit Jazzafrazz Town, we were overcome by the glitz and the glamour.2004, Intelligent Systems, translated by Nintendo of America, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Nintendo, GameCube, level/area: Rogueport:
And her success with Glover, a product of the National Lottery-funded Sporting Giants talent identification programme, will also spark relief among British officials who were starting to fret a little about hitting their target of equalling fourth in the medal table from Beijing.2012 August 1, Owen Gibson, “London 2012: rowers Glover and Stanning win Team GB's first gold medal”, in Guardian Unlimited:
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Heading To meet or reach what was aimed at or desired; to succeed, often by luck.
And oft it hits / Where hope is coldest and despair most fits.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
All Human Race wou’d fain be Wits, / And Millions miſs, for one that hits.1733, [Jonathan Swift], On Poetry: A Rapsody, Dublin; London: […] [R. Fleming] [a]nd sold by J. Huggonson, […], →OCLC, page 3, lines 1–2:
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Heading To guess; to light upon or discover.
Thou hast hit it.c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
And we shall sit at endless feast, Enjoying each the other’s good; What vaster dream can hit the mood Of Love on earth?1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLVI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 69:
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To affect negatively.
The economy was hit by a recession. The hurricane hit his fishing business hard.
I have to say this, he hit my hands. Nobody has ever hit my hands. I’ve never heard of this one. Look at those hands. Are they small hands?2016 March 3, Nick Gass, quoting Donald Trump, “Trump on small hands: 'I guarantee you there's no problem'”, in Politico:
US, Slang To inhale an amount of smoke from a narcotic substance, particularly marijuana.
Tastes like fruit when you hit it; got to have bread to get it.2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG:
I'm hitting my DMT cart right now. Hold up, hold on nigga. I'm hittin' it not enough to break through though. Oh my God! Oh my God nigga uhhh. I'm- ohhh my God, dude! Ohhh, ahhh! Oh my God! Holy fuck! Oh my God! Oohhh. Oohhh! God! Oh my God! Ahhh! Fuck, I'm breaking through bro. Ohh!2020, DubbyD, im hitting my dmt cart right now, spoken by CSGO player Loc T Nguyen:
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Bodybuilding, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports (of an exercise) to affect, to work a body part.
This is another great exercise which hits the long head.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd-der. Proto-Indo-European *kh₂id-néh₂-ti Proto-Germanic *hittijaną Old Norse hittader. Old English hyttan Middle English hitten English hit Inherited from Middle English hitten (“to hit, strike, make contact with”), from Old English hittan (“to meet with, come upon, fall in with”), from Old Norse hitta (“to strike, meet”), from Proto-Germanic *hittijaną (“to come upon, find”), from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- (“to fall; fall upon; hit; cut; hew”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian hitte (“to meet”), Dutch hitten (“to hit, encounter”), Danish hitte (“to find”), Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish hitta (“to meet”), Norwegian Nynorsk hitta, hitte (“to meet; to find”), Latin caedō (“to kill”), Albanian qit (“to hit, throw, pull out, release”). Probably also related to Dutch hei (“mallet”), German Heie (“wooden hammer, mallet”). (something very successful): Compare typologically striking, Russian порази́тельный (porazítelʹnyj) (<~ порази́ть (porazítʹ) <~ рази́ть (razítʹ)).
A blow; a punch; a striking against; the collision of one body against another; the stroke that touches anything.
So he the fam'd Cilician fencer prais'd, / And, at each hit, with wonder seem'd amaz'd.1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Fourth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:
The hit was very slight.
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Something very successful, such as a song, film, or video game, that receives widespread recognition and acclaim.
Marie Taglioni was another hit for Her Majesty's Theatre last season, and will be a hit again this season[…]1848, “Her Majesty's Theatre”, in The Musical World, volume 23:
Chico & Rita opens in the modern era, as an aged, weary Chico shines shoes in his native Cuba. Then a song heard on the radio—a hit he wrote and recorded with Rita in their youth—carries him back to 1948 Havana, where they first met.2012 February 9, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Review: Chico & Rita”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):
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Figuratively A blow; a calamitous or damaging occurrence.
His reputation took a hit when the new information came to light.
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An attack on a location, person or people.
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A collision of a projectile with the target.
But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater.2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 43:
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In the game of Battleship, a correct guess at where one's opponent ship is.
Internet A measured visit to a web site, a request for a single file from a web server.
My site received twice as many hits after being listed in a search engine.
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An approximately correct answer in a test set.
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Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The complete play, when the batter reaches base without the benefit of a walk, error, or fielder’s choice.
The catcher got a hit to lead off the fifth.
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Colloquial A dose of an illegal or addictive drug.
Where am I going to get my next hit?
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A premeditated murder done for criminal or political purposes.
The questions that have always haunted the family — who ordered the hit, and why, and who in London might have known — remain unanswered.2023 August 30, Megan K. Stack, Rob Stothard, “He Was Shot 14 Times at the Dinner Table. His Children Want to Know if Britain Ordered the Hit.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
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Dated A peculiarly apt expression or turn of thought; a phrase which hits the mark.
a happy hit
What late he called a blessing, now was wit, / And God's good providence, a lucky hit.1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:
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Backgammon, Games A move that throws one of the opponent's men back to the entering point.
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Backgammon, Games A game won after the adversary has removed some of his men. It counts for less than a gammon.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd-der. Proto-Indo-European *kh₂id-néh₂-ti Proto-Germanic *hittijaną Old Norse hittader. Old English hyttan Middle English hitten English hit Inherited from Middle English hitten (“to hit, strike, make contact with”), from Old English hittan (“to meet with, come upon, fall in with”), from Old Norse hitta (“to strike, meet”), from Proto-Germanic *hittijaną (“to come upon, find”), from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- (“to fall; fall upon; hit; cut; hew”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian hitte (“to meet”), Dutch hitten (“to hit, encounter”), Danish hitte (“to find”), Faroese, Icelandic, Swedish hitta (“to meet”), Norwegian Nynorsk hitta, hitte (“to meet; to find”), Latin caedō (“to kill”), Albanian qit (“to hit, throw, pull out, release”). Probably also related to Dutch hei (“mallet”), German Heie (“wooden hammer, mallet”). (something very successful): Compare typologically striking, Russian порази́тельный (porazítelʹnyj) (<~ порази́ть (porazítʹ) <~ рази́ть (razítʹ)).
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Very successful.
The band played their hit song to the delight of the fans.
hit
pron
Etymology From Middle English hit (“it”), from Old English hit (“it”), from Proto-Germanic *hit (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here”). Cognate with Dutch het (“it”). More at it; also note 'it.