hit

I. verb (hit; hitting) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hyttan, probably from Old Norse hitta to meet with, hit Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to reach with or as if with a blow b. to come in contact with <

the ball hit the window

> c. to strike (as a ball) with an object (as a bat, club, or racket) so as to impart or redirect motion 2. a. to cause to come into contact b. to deliver (as a blow) by action c. to apply forcefully or suddenly <

hit the brakes

> 3. to affect especially detrimentally <

farmers hit by drought

> 4. to make a request of <

hit his friend for 10 dollars

> — often used with up 5. to discover or meet especially by chance 6. a. to accord with ; suit b. reach, attain <

prices hit a new high

> c. to arrive or appear at, in, or on <

hit town

> <

the best time to hit the stores

> d. of fish to bite at or on e. to reflect accurately <

hit the right note

> f. to reach or strike (as a target) especially for a score in a game or contest <

couldn't seem to hit the basket

> g. bat 2b 7. to indulge in excessively <

hit the bottle

> 8. to deal another card to (as in blackjack) intransitive verb 1. a. to strike a blow b. to arrive with a forceful effect like that of a blow <

the storm hit

> 2. a. to come into contact with something b. attack c. of a fish strike 11b d. bat 1 3. to succeed in attaining or coming up with something — often used with on or upon <

hit on a solution

> 4. obsolete to be in agreement ; suit 5. of an internal combustion engine to fire the charge in the cylinders • hitter noun II. noun Date: 15th century 1. an act or instance of hitting or being hit <

more hits than misses

> 2. a. a stroke of luck b. a great success 3. a telling or critical remark 4. base hit 5. a quantity of a drug ingested at one time 6. a premeditated murder committed especially by a member of a crime syndicate 7. an instance of connecting to a particular Web site <

a million hits per day

> 8. a successful match in a search (as of a computer database or the Internet) • hitless adjective