hit*/*/*/

[hɪt] (past tense past participle hit) verb I

1) [I/T] to move quickly against something, or to move an object quickly against something, touching it with force

The glass smashed as it hit the ground.[/ex]

The child was hitting the table with a toy hammer.[/ex]

2) [I/T] to move your hand or an object hard against someone's body, so that you hurt them

Stop hitting your brother![/ex]

He hit me on the shoulder.[/ex]

They hit me in the stomach.[/ex]

3) [I/T] to have a sudden or bad effect on someone or something

They were halfway down the mountain when the storm hit.[/ex]

The recession has hit small businesses hard.[/ex]

4) [T] if an idea hits you, you suddenly realize it

Syn:

strike

It suddenly hit her that she would never see him again.[/ex]

5) [T] spoken

to press something such as a switch on a machine, vehicle, or computer

Just hit the Save button every few minutes.[/ex]

•

hit it off — spokenif two people hit it off, they like each other when they first meet (= get on)[/ex]

hit the nail on the head — to say something that is exactly right[/ex]

hit the road — informal to leave, or to start a journey[/ex]

hit the roof — spoken to become very angry[/ex]

- hit back

- hit on sb

- hit on sth

- hit out

II

noun [C]

hit */[hɪt]

1) a song that sells a very large number of copies

They played a lot of old hits from the 70s and 80s.[/ex]

an album of Madonna's greatest hits[/ex]

2) something or someone that is very successful and popular

The film was a massive hit at the box-office.[/ex]

His magic act was a hit with the children.[/ex]

3) an occasion when someone or something touches another person or thing with a lot of force

4) an occasion when a player hits the ball in a game

5) computing

an occasion when someone looks at a particular document on the Internet

Their website gets a couple of hundred hits a day.[/ex]

6) computing

a piece of information that a computer program finds for you