Hit — Defs

01 pron. It.

02 3d pers. sing. pres. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Hide, contracted from hideth.

03 v. t. To reach with a stroke or blow; to strike or touch, usually with force; especially, to reach or touch (an object aimed at).

imp. & p. p. Hit; p. pr. & vb. n. Hitting

1.
To reach with a stroke or blow; to strike or touch, usually with force; especially, to reach or touch (an object aimed at).
“I think you have hit the mark.” — Shak.
2.
To reach or attain exactly; to meet according to the occasion; to perform successfully; to attain to; to accord with; to be conformable to; to suit.
“Birds learning tunes, and their endeavors to hit the notes right.” — Locke.

“There you hit him; . . . that argument never fails with him.” — Dryden.

“Whose saintly visage is too bright To hit the sense of human sight.” — Milton.

“He scarcely hit my humor.” — Tennyson.
3.
To guess; to light upon or discover.
4.
To take up, or replace by a piece belonging to the opposing player; -- said of a single unprotected piece on a point.(Backgammon)

Phrases & compounds

To hit off — to describe with quick characteristic strokes; as, to hit off a speaker.

To hit out — to perform by good luck.

04 v. i. To meet or come in contact; to strike; to clash; -- followed by against or on.

1.
To meet or come in contact; to strike; to clash; -- followed by against or on.
“If bodies be extension alone, how can they move and hit one against another?” — Locke.

“Corpuscles, meeting with or hitting on those bodies, become conjoined with them.” — Woodward.
2.
To meet or reach what was aimed at or desired; to succeed, -- often with implied chance, or luck.
“And oft it hits Where hope is coldest and despair most fits.” — Shak.

“And millions miss for one that hits.” — Swift.

Phrases & compounds

To hit on — to light upon; to come to by chance; to discover unexpectedly; as, he hit on the solution after days of trying.

05 n. A striking against; the collision of one body against another; the stroke that touches anything.

1.
A striking against; the collision of one body against another; the stroke that touches anything.
“So he the famed Cilician fencer praised, And, at each hit, with wonder seems amazed.” — Dryden.
2.
A stroke of success in an enterprise, as by a fortunate chance; as, he made a hit;
“What late he called a blessing, now was wit, And God's good providence, a lucky hit.” — Pope.
3.
A peculiarly apt expression or turn of thought; a phrase which hits the mark; as, a happy hit.
4.
A game won at backgammon after the adversary has removed some of his men. It counts less than a gammon.
5.
A striking of the ball; as, a safe hit; a foul hit; -- sometimes used specifically for a base hit.(Baseball) Also: base hit
6.
An act of murder performed for hire, esp. by a professional assassin.

Phrases & compounds

Base hit — See under Base, Safe, etc.

06 adj. Having become very popular or acclaimed; -- said of entertainment performances; as, a hit song, a hit movie.

1.
Having become very popular or acclaimed; -- said of entertainment performances; as, a hit song, a hit movie.