1
as in knocks
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
a good carpenter hits a nail just two or three times to drive it in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in bumps
to come into usually forceful contact with something
when she fell on the ice, she hit hard and badly bruised her elbow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wins
to obtain (as a goal) through effort
the rock band hit "the big time" with their third album
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in successes
a person or thing that is successful
the new babysitter turned out to be a hit with the kids
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the quarterback can't take too many more hits like that and escape permanent injury
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hits
Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
After the Sabres were eliminated in the second round of the NHL playoffs with an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, Tuch and the Sabres have until July 1 to agree on a new contract before the 30-year-old winger hits the open market.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 21 May 2026
After all, the slim cut hits the sweet spot between skinnies and straight-legs, falling straight from the knee to the ankle, much like, well, a cigarette.
—Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 20 May 2026
As much as this is a problem for the world's most vulnerable countries, insurability hits G7 economies too.
—Nina Seega, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
If Brooks literally hits the ground running, the 2024 second-round pick — at worst — will be the 1B complement to Chuba Hubbard.
—Mike Kaye
updated May 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026
For afternoon drinks, Barbara Ann's, a retro VW bus converted into a beachfront bar, hits the spot.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2026
Memorial Day weekend hits close to home for Garett Bolles.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
The Oscar-winning actress hits the Croisette this year with two new projects, representing her 14th and 15th premieres on the famed red carpet in the South of France.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 13 May 2026
Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Feehan opened the game with two runs in the top of the first off Xaverian started Colin Mont (6 1/3 innings, eight hits, four runs, two walks, seven strikeouts), who did a superb job of keeping the Hawks within reach.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
Sooryavanshi raised the tally of his sixes to 53 this season and needs seven more big hits to break Chris Gayle’s 14-year-old IPL record of 59 sixes.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
McDevitt’s line at the time of his departure was 5 2/3 innings, eight hits, six runs, and eight strikeouts on 98 pitches.
—Jace Denison, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
Ellie Mattocks, Jaylee Longo and Kaelyn Perez each had two hits for El Toro (12-9-1).
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 19 May 2026
Andujar had two of the four hits by the Padres in the opener of a nine-game homestand after an impressive sweep of Seattle last weekend.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
Jake Noroian finished with three hits and Troy Tejo had two hits and three RBIs.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Did this player play for four teams long enough to get 500 hits in each place?
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Verb
But Ohtani entered Wednesday with four doubles and 10 hits total in five games against the Angels and Padres.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
After the Sabres were eliminated in the second round of the NHL playoffs with an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, Tuch and the Sabres have until July 1 to agree on a new contract before the 30-year-old winger hits the open market.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 21 May 2026
After all, the slim cut hits the sweet spot between skinnies and straight-legs, falling straight from the knee to the ankle, much like, well, a cigarette.
—Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 20 May 2026
As much as this is a problem for the world's most vulnerable countries, insurability hits G7 economies too.
—Nina Seega, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
If Brooks literally hits the ground running, the 2024 second-round pick — at worst — will be the 1B complement to Chuba Hubbard.
—Mike Kaye
updated May 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026
For afternoon drinks, Barbara Ann's, a retro VW bus converted into a beachfront bar, hits the spot.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2026
Memorial Day weekend hits close to home for Garett Bolles.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
The Oscar-winning actress hits the Croisette this year with two new projects, representing her 14th and 15th premieres on the famed red carpet in the South of France.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 13 May 2026
Noun
The company’s previous productions – The Undertaker and The Undertaker 2 – were big hits in Thailand, with the rest of the country curious about the customs of the region, so the studio wanted to expand this concept to international audiences with Possessed.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Feehan opened the game with two runs in the top of the first off Xaverian started Colin Mont (6 1/3 innings, eight hits, four runs, two walks, seven strikeouts), who did a superb job of keeping the Hawks within reach.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
Sooryavanshi raised the tally of his sixes to 53 this season and needs seven more big hits to break Chris Gayle’s 14-year-old IPL record of 59 sixes.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
McDevitt’s line at the time of his departure was 5 2/3 innings, eight hits, six runs, and eight strikeouts on 98 pitches.
—Jace Denison, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
Ellie Mattocks, Jaylee Longo and Kaelyn Perez each had two hits for El Toro (12-9-1).
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 19 May 2026
Andujar had two of the four hits by the Padres in the opener of a nine-game homestand after an impressive sweep of Seattle last weekend.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
Jake Noroian finished with three hits and Troy Tejo had two hits and three RBIs.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Did this player play for four teams long enough to get 500 hits in each place?
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hits
Verb
-
He wasn’t invited to the combine this winter and drew knocks from some evaluators for his lack of length and his inconsistency as a pass rusher.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Temperatures will be near 81 degrees on Monday, and then turn cooler on Tuesday through Thursday after a cold front knocks them back into the mid- to upper 60s.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX will start at $99,995, excluding a mandatory $2,595 destination fee that bumps the price to $102,590.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
1 Jan. 2026
-
A day when the Stanley Cup years finally ride the synaptic road back to long-term memory and the brain finally bumps the past for the present.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
No Stanley Cup since 1967, and the Maple Leafs went nearly 20 years between series wins between 2004 and 2023.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Move quickly — but don’t skip due diligence Speed wins deals in Charlotte, but speed without care creates problems.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
It had, in fact, been rejected by all three major networks despite Lear’s handsome pedigree (his previous shows included the unequivocal successes All in the Family and Maude).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
State media often reports extensively on sporting successes.—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
-
While the killing dealt one of the biggest blows to ISIS’s global network in years, disrupting operations in northeastern Nigeria, the terror group's top leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, remains at large as Africa becomes the movement's global epicenter.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Anderson slaps his hit down the right field line, just fair.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
At the end of the night, during the bows, Butler slaps the guys playing her two antagonists gently on their butts, a gesture that would have jarred in most stagings but fully in keeping with the inclusive, humanistic vibe of this production.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Historic power collides with modern reality The King’s Speech merges the historic power and grandeur of Britain with the reality of the modern United Kingdom, a midsized country with an underfunded military, rising debt and waning international influence.—
Pan Pylas,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
The timing of the hearing — after several delays — collides with Becerra’s momentum in the governor’s race.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The telling is harrowing, but also humorous at times, and achieves an emotional register that had me, essentially, transfixed.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Here, the Sport+ drive mode does a commendable job of keeping the transmission in the meaty parts of the powerband, while dialing the dampers back to Sport achieves the right balance of body control and compliance on these less-than-perfect road surfaces.—
Bradley Iger,
Robb Report,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hits. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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