■ verb ( ~s , ~ting , ~ )
1》 direct a blow at with one's hand or a tool or weapon.
↘accidentally strike (part of one's body) against something.
↘(of a moving object or body) come into contact with (someone or something stationary) quickly and forcefully.
2》 strike (a target).
3》 cause harm or distress to.
↘( ~ out ) make a strongly worded criticism or attack.
↘ informal, chiefly N. Amer. attack and rob or kill.
4》 informal reach or arrive at.
↘be suddenly and vividly realized by: it ~ her that I wanted to settle down here.
↘( ~ on ) discover or think of, especially by chance.
↘( ~ on ) N. Amer. informal make sexual advances towards.
5》 propel (a ball) with a bat, racket, etc.
↘score (runs or points) in this way.
■ noun
1》 an instance of ~ting or being ~.
2》 informal, chiefly N. Amer. a murder carried out by a criminal organization.
3》 a successful and popular film, pop record, etc.
4》 Computing an instance of identifying an item of data which matches the requirements of a search.
↘an instance of a particular website being accessed by a user.
5》 informal a dose of a narcotic drug.
6》 Baseball short for base ~ .
Phrases
~-and-miss (also ~-or-miss ) haphazard; random.
↘as likely to be unsuccessful as successful.
~-and-run denoting a road accident from which the perpetrator escapes before being discovered and without lending assistance.
~ someone below the belt
1》 Boxing give one's opponent an illegal low blow.
2》 behave unfairly towards someone.
~ someone for six Brit. affect someone very severely. [with allusion to a forceful ~ that scores six runs in cricket.]
~ the ground running informal proceed at a fast pace with enthusiasm.
~ it off informal be naturally friendly or well suited.
~ the nail on the head find exactly the right answer.
~ the road (or N. Amer. trail ) informal leave or set out on a journey.
Derivatives
~ter noun
Origin
OE ~tan , from ON ~ta 'come upon, meet with'.