From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhithit1 /hɪt/ ●●● S1 W2 verb (past tense and past participle hit, present participle hitting) 1 touch somebody/something hard [transitive]HIT to touch someone or something quickly and hard with your hand, a stick etc He raised the hammer and hit the bell.hit somebody/something with something The robbers hit him over the head with a baseball bat.2 crash into something [transitive]HIT/BUMP INTO to move into something or someone quickly and with force The tanks exploded as the plane hit the ground. He was hit by a car.3 hurt yourself [transitive]HIT/BUMP INTO to move a part of your body quickly against something accidentally, causing pain SYN bang The ceiling’s low, so be careful you don’t hit your head.hit something on/against something She slipped and hit her head on the sidewalk.4 sport [transitive] a) HITif you hit a ball or other object, you make it move forward quickly by hitting it with a bat, stick etc SYN strike Hit the ball as hard as you can. b) SCOREto get points by hitting a ball in a game such as baseball or cricket Last year, Griffey hit 49 home runs.5 press [transitive] informalPRESS to press a part in a machine, car, etc to make it work Maria hit the brakes just in time. 6 attack [transitive] to attack something or wound someone with a bomb, bullet etc Our ship was badly hit and sank within minutes. A second shot hit her in the back. The bomb failed to hit its target.7 affect badly [intransitive, transitive]EFFECT/INFLUENCE if something bad hits a place or a person, it suddenly happens and affects people badly The village has been hit by a devastating drought. Hurricane Louis is expected to hit at the weekend.be badly/severely/hard hit The company has been hard hit by the drop in consumer confidence. The south of the country is the worst hit by the recession.8 have problems [transitive]PROBLEM to experience trouble, problems etchit a snag/problems/a bad patch etc My father hit a bad patch, and had to sell the house.9 REACHreach a level/number [transitive] to reach a particular level or number Sales have hit the 1 million mark.hit a peak/an all-time high etc Earnings hit a peak in the early 1980s.hit rock-bottom/an all-time low etc Oil prices have hit rock-bottom.10 realize [transitive]REALIZE if a fact hits you, you suddenly realize its importance and feel surprised or shocked It’s impossible to pinpoint a moment when it hit me that I was ‘a success’. He was gone before they knew what had hit them (=realized what had happened). 11 smell/sight etc [transitive] if a smell or sight hits you, you suddenly smell or see it The smell of stale smoke hit him as he entered.12 arrive [transitive] informalARRIVE to arrive at a place They hit the main road two kilometres further on.hit town American English I’ll look for work as soon as I hit town.13 → hit the road/trail14 → hit the shops/streets15 → hit the headlines16 → hit the bottle17 → hit the dirt/the deck18 → hit a (brick) wall19 → hit the buffers/skids20 → hit somebody when they are down21 → hit somebody where it hurts22 → hit it off (with somebody)23 → hit the big time24 → hit the ground running25 → hit the jackpot26 → hit the nail on the head27 → hit home28 → hit the spot29 → hit the roof/ceiling30 → hit the sack → the shit hits the fan at shit2(17), → hit/strike paydirt at paydirtTHESAURUSto hit someonehit to hit someone quickly and hard with your hand, a stick etcHe hit him hard in the stomach.I don’t like to see people hitting a dog.beat to hit someone deliberately many times, especially very hardThe girl had been beaten to death.He was beating the donkey with a stick.strike written to hit someone with your hand or a weapon. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written EnglishHer husband struck her twice across the face.Police say that the man had been struck on the head.punch to hit someone hard with your closed hand, especially in a fightI punched him on the nose.She was screaming and punching him with her fists.thump /θʌmp/ informal to punch someone very hardSometimes I just want to thump him.beat somebody up to hurt someone badly in a violent attack, by hitting them many timesIf I tell the police, they'll beat me up.He had been beaten up and tortured with lighted cigarettes.slap to hit someone with your open hand, especially because you are angry with themThey had a big row and she ended up slapping him.spank (also smack especially British English) to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish themShould a parent ever smack a child?I don’t agree with smacking.In those days, children were spanked if they behaved badly.to hit somethinghitJack hit the ball and it flew over the fence.knock to hit a door or window with your closed hand in order to attract the attention of the people insideSomeone was knocking on the door. I knocked loudly but no one came.strike written to hit a surface. Strike is more formal than hit and is mainly used in written EnglishThe ball struck the side of the goal.whack /wæk/ informal to hit something very hardEdmonds whacked the ball into the air.bash to hit something hard, especially in a way that causes damageThe police had to bash the door down to get in.tap to gently hit something with your fingers, often in order to attract someone’s attentionI tapped him on the shoulder.I heard someone tapping on the window.rap to knock quickly or hit something several timesHe rapped the table with his pen to bring the meeting to order.Two police officers rapped on the door at 7 o'clock in the morning.bang to suddenly hit something hard, in a way that makes a loud noiseHer father banged his fist down on the table angrily.The door suddenly banged shut.pound written to hit something many times with a lot of forceI could hear the sea pounding on the rocks.She pounded on the door and shouted wildly.hammer written to hit something quickly many times making a loud continuous noiseThe rain was hammering on the roof.A crowd of people were outside hammering on the door angrily.to hit something accidentallyhitI’ve got a bad bruise where I hit my leg against the table.The car hit a tree.bump to hit a part of your body against something, especially because you do not see or notice itCareful you don’t bump your head – the ceiling’s very low.bang/bash to hit something hard, so that you hurt yourself or damage somethingHe banged into the car in front.I bashed my knee climbing over a gate.She fell and bashed her chin on the ground.stub to hit your toe against something and hurt itI stubbed my toe on the piano leg. → hit back → hit on somebody/something → hit out → hit out at somebody/something → hit somebody up for something → hit somebody with something→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
hit• In 1852 he again played well, hitting 24 and 40 not out and 60 against Dalton.• He ran out into the road and almost got hit.• This is somewhat like making the target broader so that it becomes easier to hit.• I had hit a few snags in my work.• He hit a few three-irons and three-woods and that was it.• Five sailors were killed when their ship hit a mine.• As oil production increased, prices hit an all-time low.• He pulled out of the driveway without looking, and almost hit another car.• Buildings that had gotten hit by bombs had still not been repaired.• Elderly people were the hardest hit by the increase in tax on fuel.• He hit him hard in the stomach.• Don't hit him, he'll only hit you back.• A sudden rise in inflation always hits living standards.• Be careful with that stick! You nearly hit me with it.• Dad! Peter keeps hitting me!• I hit my elbow on the corner of that table.• Yet only by luck did he hit one of the skaters - who was blasted apart.• Analysts say that the value of the Euro could hit rock bottom in the next few months.• Greg Davis didn't disappoint his teammates, hitting six field goals in six attempts.• If sales continue to increase, output may hit the 500,000 mark this year.• I have to hit the books.• Hit the brakes!• His face hit the concrete before any of the rest of him.• When I hit the elephant grass, I just kept going.• Courtney was a traditionalist, besides which Jack's career had finally begun to hit the fast track.• It's time to hit the shower.• Careful, don't hit your head.Hit ... hard• I sat down again longing to hit something hard.• The chain-link fence swerved in, and this time I hit the brakes hard.• Background: The New York area was hit hard by the recession, but pent-up demand is pushing up prices.• The bulb had obviously been hit hard soas to break its filament, to ensure no warning light came on.• Sometimes, the other players hit him harder than he hits them.• Insurance companies have hit their hardest times yet.• It hit him very hard when Rosie left home - and then when Sean got killed in the war ...badly hit• Motorists passing through Tewkesbury have been badly hit.• The refrigeration industry will be the most badly hit.• The Tapies market was also badly hit.• With stock and bond markets in the doldrums, their trading operations have been badly hit.• Vodafone, which could also be badly hit by such a move, lost 10p to 504p.• It should also drum up more work for a profession that has been badly hit by the recession.• So does Huddur - another badly hit town. be badly/severely/hard hit• Among the industries affected, transport was badly hit.• If a ban is approved, the famous Beaufort hunt will be hard hit.• Luxury and performance car manufacturers were hard hit.• Firms and institutions which are otherwise financially sound could be hard hit by a protracted run of debt defaults.• Vodafone, which could also be badly hit by such a move, lost 10p to 504p.• Campesinos are hard hit by the economic crisis and government forces have deliberately destroyed the livelihood of many subsistence farming families.• Inflation-sensitive bank stocks were hard hit Friday.• Countries not so reliant on oil because of lack of industrial development can be hard hit indirectly.hit a snag/problems/a bad patch etc• Sometimes I am a real power pack of efficiency; then I hit a bad patch.• Talk about hitting a bad patch.• Having hit a bad patch, financially, I decided I must try for some paid work with my knitting machine.• The market for recycled material has recently hit a bad patch with falling prices.hit the ... mark• About half hit the comic mark.• It took five years for revenue to hit the £1 million mark.• Not every story hits the mark.• Words don't always hit the mark, do they?• The umpires green-flagged the crash but penalised Stripes for hitting the mark, effectively giving Kanza the race.• Darren Biggs hit the 50 mark for the season with his win on Iommelli at Sandown yesterday.• In any book of several hundred pages you're bound to hit the mark occasionally.• If one of us hits the half-century mark, we all do. it hit ... that• If your goal is for a stock to gain 20 percent, sell when it hits that point.hit town• But there's little chance of that for Joanne Malkin when the swinging detective hits town.• By the time the celebration rolled around, the media were reporting that 100,000 people were expected to hit town.• So does Huddur - another badly hit town.• Old Hanoi hands said nothing had been seen on this scale since Fidel Castro hit town in the 1970s.• Blockbuster movies hit town like tidal waves.• Whenever she hits town, she enjoys picking with Rozum's fellow Summerdog alumnus Peter McLaughlin.• When Francis hit town Tuesday for tonight's game with the Bulls, the bitterness was gone.hithit2 ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable] 1 successful something such as a film, play, song etc that is very popular and successfula hit single/show/record etc the hit musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’a big/smash/number 1 etc hit The Beatles’ greatest hits. Which band had a hit with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’?be a hit with somebody (=be liked by them) It’s hoped the new museum will be a big hit with families.2 hit something an occasion when something that is aimed at something else touches it, reaches it, or damages it Our ship took a direct hit and sank.3 computer a) an occasion when someone visits a website The site had 2,000 hits in the first week. b) a result of a computer search, especially on the Internet thousands of irrelevant hits4 → take a hit5 informalMDD a feeling of pleasure obtained from taking an illegal drug6 informalSCC a murder that has been arranged to happen → hit manExamples from the Corpus
hit• Our site had 2000 hits in the first month.• The tuna tartare with chopped avocado, the clam chowder with smoked bacon and the giant Louisiana prawns were all a hit.• But the decision seems to be a hit with the scouts.• When I first heard the song I knew it would be a hit.• It lasted longer and that, a better hit.• "Titanic" was a big hit all over the world.• This time Dennis claimed hits on a destroyer while Osborne inflicted damage on a supply ship.• an album of the Beatles' greatest hits• a new hit single from Janet Jackson• The official World Cup web-site scored a record number of hits last week.• You may get thousands of hits that are irrelevant to your question.• Still, it was a shock when Vee-Jay filed for bankruptcy in 1965, while it was still turning out hits.• They absorb these losses either by taking the hit themselves or by paying insurance premiums that are roughly equal to those losses.a hit single/show/record etc• Alan King founded Ace and actually had a hit single after all the years of struggle.• Played loose and desperate by Marcus Naylor, Floyd has a hit record out, but he needs another.• Tom says every singer wants to have a hit record.• There are already plans to make the £26,000 jingle into a hit single and show the ad in cinemas.direct hit• The bomb had been a direct hit and only the last few dwellings had still been standing afterwards.• It was in a dance hall, a direct hit.• He was killed instantly, a direct hit.• With a beautiful clean throw Trondur made a direct hit.• I lay under my cot and prayed that our hooch would not take a direct hit with a rocket.• The next one was a direct hit, and the whole ceiling did come down.• A direct hit on the Al-Rasheed was ruled out because of the western journalists there.• Both were direct hits, as he knew they would be.From Longman Business Dictionaryhithit1 /hɪt/ verb (past tense and past participle hit, present participle hitting)1[transitive] to reach a particular level or numberProfits should hit $23 million this year.The company’s shares hit a 52-week high of $34 last Friday.2[transitive] to have a bad effect on somethingStrikes hit several ports in Australia last month.The industry has beenbadly hit by the rise in oil prices.A number of computer retail chains have beenhit hard by the recession.3[intransitive] when a RECESSION hits, it beginsA final blow to the company came when the recession hit in 1990.4hit the market/shops/shelves to become available for people to buyThis new generation of computers is expected to hit the market some time next year.5hit the jackpot to be very successful and make a lot of moneyThe company hit the jackpot with its New Kids range of clothing.→ See Verb tablehithit2 noun [countable]1something that is extremely popular and successfulTheir latest computer game has been abig hit with customers.The group is currently on tour promoting its latesthit single.2take a hit American English if a person or organization takes a hit, they suffer from a problemThe construction industry took a serious hit as jobs declined by 37,000 during the first 10 months of the year.3take a hit American EnglishFINANCE if a company takes a hit in its financial results, it pays a CHARGE (=a cost related to a particular event, usually one that is not repeated in later periods of time)The bank took a huge hit in charges to clean up the mess in its African subsidiaries.4COMPUTING an occasion when someone looks at a particular WEBSITE on the InternetThe Winter Olympics website had over 600 million hits in 16 days.Origin hit1 (1000-1100) Old Norse hitta “to find, hit” 