hit
verb
uk/hɪt/ us-tt- | hit [ I or T ]
to have an unpleasant or negative effect on someone or something :
Rising fuel costs hit industrial and rural areas worst.
Companies tend to be slow to lay off employees when hard times hit, but they are quicker to cease hiring.
be hit by sth Oil firms have been hit by a 10% increase in petroleum tax.
be hit with sth A tractor made in the United States and shipped to Chile is hit with $25,000 in tariffs and duties.
[ T ]
to reach a particular level or amount, especially a very high or very low one:
Sales hit $300 million within the first three years.
hit an all-time/a record high/low Last week property shares hit a record low.
The company is very capable of hitting its targets well ahead of schedule.
[ T ] informal
to experience a difficult situation or stop making progress with something:
Talks between the bosses and the union yesterday hit a major setback.
The project began smoothly, but then we began to hit some problems.
hit the market/shops/shelves
informal
to become available for people to buy:
Although the toys are only just now hitting the market, a huge advertising campaign has been in place for several months.
be hit hard/be hard hit (by sth)
to be badly affected by something:
Car makers were among the hardest hit as consumers bought fewer vehicles last month.
The area has been hit hard by job losses in textiles and furniture.
hit a wall
to reach a point at which no more progress can be made:
The energy bill is expected to hit a wall in the Senate, where Republicans have enough votes to block it.
hit bottom
informal
to reach an extremely low level:
The U.S. economy is beginning to show signs that it is hitting bottom and that a turnaround could get underway later this year.
hit it big
informal
to become very successful:
The company hit it big when they received an order for three commercial satellites.
hit the buffers
mainly UK informal
to suddenly stop being successful or stop happening:
The main worry is that the economy might hit the buffers.
Their plans to become one of the world's largest telecoms firms has hit the buffers.
hit the ground running
informal
to immediately work hard and successfully at a new activity:
Companies often expect staff to hit the ground running.
hit the headlines
to receive a lot of attention in news reports:
He hit the headlines when he sold a million shares at £5.80 a share.
hit the jackpot
to achieve financial success:
They need a licensing deal to a big drug company before judging if their biotech venture has hit the jackpot.
hit the wall US
to be a financial failure:
The question mark is whether the company is going to hit the wall.
Phrasal verbs
hit back
hit sb up (for sth)/hit sb for sth
hit
noun [ C ]
uk/hɪt/ usa thing or person that is very popular or successful:
a hit with sb/sth The Mexican restaurant is a huge hit with locals, who swear by the Mexican pizzas and fried bread dishes.
Plans call for doubling both the workforce and production if the vehicles prove a hit.
E-COMMERCE, MARKETING
a visit to a particular website on the internet, which is then counted to calculate the number of people who see the website:
attract/get/receive hits The site typically gets an average of about 400,000 hits a day.
something that has an unpleasant or negative effect on a person or thing:
a hit to sth Investors are worried about the direct hit to consumer confidence.
For some businesses, the financial hit was substantial.
take a hit
to be badly affected by a difficult situation or problem:
Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of the nation's economic activity, so when consumers take a hit, so does the economy.
to have to pay an unusual cost:
The company recently took a hit to the tune of $4 million in health insurance costs.