v. 1 strike, cuff, smack, knock, whack, bash, bang, thump, thwack, punch, buffet, slap, swat, bludgeon, club, smite; spank, thrash, beat, pummel, batter, flog, scourge, birch, cane, lash, belabour, flagellate, whip, horsewhip, cudgel, Archaic fustigate; Colloq belt, wallop, clobber, clout, sock, clip, crown, bop, conk, paste, lambaste, zap She hit him on the jaw and he went down 2 strike, bat, swat, knock, drive, propel He hit the ball over the heads of the fielders 3 strike, collide or impact with, run or smash or crash into, bump or bang into The car went off the road and hit a tree 4 affect, touch, stir, move, wound, hurt, strike or hit home, make or leave an impression or a mark on, (make an) impact (on) The new taxes hit the wealthy more than the poor 5 dawn on, enter one's mind, occur to, strike It finally hit Graham that he had been insulted 6 reach, attain, arrive at, gain, achieve Those who have hit eighty know the meaning of old age She hit the jackpot this week. 7 experience, encounter, meet (with) It was at that point that we hit a snag in the negotiations 8 Also, hit up. importune, beseech, petition, beg, implore, entreat, ask for As usual, Guthrie hit me for a loan as soon as we met 9 hit on or upon. a come or happen or chance or light on or upon, discover, find, uncover, unearth, stumble or blunder on or upon, arrive at After years of experimentation, the Curies hit upon pitchblende as a source of radium b devise, think of or up, invent, dream up, come up with, work out, see, perceive, detect, discern, find I have hit upon a way to counteract the force of gravity
n. 10 impact, collision; blow, punch, knock, strike, swat, shot, smack, bump, bang, Colloq whack, thwack, conk, bop, sock The weakness of the hit caused only a slight dent in my car door The boxer reeled after a hard hit to the midriff. 11 success, triumph, coup, winner, sensation, Colloq smash (hit), sell-out After opening in the West End the musical became a hit on Broadway 12 kick, jolt, thrill, Slang charge, US rush, bang Give me a hit off that reefer