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/hit/, v., hit, hitting, n.v.t.1. to deal a blow or stroke to: Hit the nail with the hammer.2. to come against with an impact or collision, as a missile, a flying fragment, a falling body, or the like: The car hit the tree.3. to reach with a missile, a weapon, a blow, or the like, as one throwing, shooting, or striking: Did the bullet hit him?4. to succeed in striking: With his final shot he hit the mark.5. Baseball.a. to make (a base hit): He hit a single and a home run.b. bat1 (def. 14).6. to drive or propel by a stroke: to hit a ball onto the green.7. to have a marked effect or influence on; affect severely: We were all hit by the change in management.8. to assail effectively and sharply (often fol. by out): The speech hits out at warmongering.9. to request or demand of: He hit me for a loan.10. to reach or attain (a specified level or amount): Prices are expected to hit a new low. The new train can hit 100 mph.11. to be published in or released to; appear in: When will this report hit the papers? What will happen when the story hits the front page?12. to land on or arrive in: The troops hit the beach at 0800. When does Harry hit town?13. to give (someone) another playing card, drink, portion, etc.: If the dealer hits me with an ace, I'll win the hand. Bartender, hit me again.14. to come or light upon; meet with; find: to hit the right road.15. to agree with; suit exactly: I'm sure this purple shirt will hit Alfred's fancy.16. to solve or guess correctly; come upon the right answer or solution: You've hit it!17. to succeed in representing or producing exactly: to hit a likeness in a portrait.18. Informal. to begin to travel on: Let's hit the road. What time shall we hit the trail?v.i.19. to strike with a missile, a weapon, or the like; deal a blow or blows: The armies hit at dawn.21. Slang. to kill; murder.22. (of an internal-combustion engine) to ignite a mixture of air and fuel as intended: This jalopy is hitting on all cylinders.23. to come or light (usually fol. by upon or on): to hit on a new way.24. hit it off, Informal. to be congenial or compatible; get along; agree: We hit it off immediately with the new neighbors. She and her brother had never really hit it off.25. hit off,a. to represent or describe precisely or aptly: In his new book he hits off the American temperament with amazing insight.b. to imitate, esp. in order to satirize.26. hit on, Slang. to make persistent sexual advances to: guys who hit on girls at social events.27. hit out,a. to deal a blow aimlessly: a child hitting out in anger and frustration.b. to make a violent verbal attack: Critics hit out at the administration's new energy policy.28. hit the books, Slang. to study hard; cram.30. hit the high spots,a. to go out on the town; go nightclubbing: We'll hit the high spots when you come to town.b. to do something in a quick or casual manner, paying attention to only the most important or obvious facets or items: When I clean the house I hit the high spots and that's about all. This course will hit the high spots of ancient history.31. hit up, Slang.a. to ask to borrow money from: He hit me up for ten bucks.b. to inject a narcotic drug into a vein.n.32. an impact or collision, as of one thing against another.33. a stroke that reaches an object; blow.34. a stroke of satire, censure, etc.: a hit at complacency.35. Baseball. See base hit.36. Backgammon.a. a game won by a player after the opponent has thrown off one or more men from the board.b. any winning game.37. a successful stroke, performance, or production; success: The play is a hit.38. Slang. a dose of a narcotic drug.39. -a. Computers. (in information retrieval) an instance of successfully locating an item of data in the memory bank of a computer.b. an instance of accessing a Web site.40. Slang. a killing, murder, or assassination, esp. one carried out by criminal prearrangements.41. hit or miss, without concern for correctness or detail; haphazardly: The paint job had been done hit or miss.[bef. 1100; 1865-70, Amer. for def. 5a; ME hitten, OE hittan; perh. < Scand; cf. ON hitta to come upon (by chance), meet with]
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Universalium. 2010.
