hit to hit someone quickly and hard with your hand, a stick etc:
He hit him hard in the stomach. I don’t like to see people hitting a dog.beat to hit someone deliberately many times, especially very hard:
The girl had been beaten to death. He was beating the donkey with a stick.strike written to hit someone with your hand or a weapon.
Strike is more formal than
hit and is mainly used in written English:
Her husband struck her twice across the face. Police say that the man had been struck on the head.punch to hit someone hard with your closed hand, especially in a fight:
I punched him on the nose. She was screaming and punching him with her fists.thump /θʌmp/
informal to punch someone very hard:
Sometimes I just want to thump him.beat somebody up to hurt someone badly in a violent attack, by hitting them many times:
If I tell the police, they'll beat me up. He had been beaten up and tortured with lighted cigarettes.slap to hit someone with your open hand, especially because you are angry with them:
They had a big row and she ended up slapping him.spank (
also smack especially British English) to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish them:
Should a parent ever smack a child? I don’t agree with smacking. In those days, children were spanked if they behaved badly.knock to hit a door or window with your closed hand in order to attract the attention of the people inside:
Someone was knocking on the door. I knocked loudly but no one came.whack /wæk/
informal to hit something very hard:
Edmonds whacked the ball into the air.bash to hit something hard, especially in a way that causes damage:
The police had to bash the door down to get in.tap to gently hit something with your fingers, often in order to attract someone’s attention:
I tapped him on the shoulder. I heard someone tapping on the window.rap to knock quickly or hit something several times:
He rapped the table with his pen to bring the meeting to order. Two police officers rapped on the door at 7 o'clock in the morning.bang to suddenly hit something hard, in a way that makes a loud noise:
Her father banged his fist down on the table angrily. The door suddenly banged shut.pound written to hit something many times with a lot of force:
I could hear the sea pounding on the rocks. She pounded on the door and shouted wildly.hammer written to hit something quickly many times making a loud continuous noise:
The rain was hammering on the roof. A crowd of people were outside hammering on the door angrily.bump to hit a part of your body against something, especially because you do not see or notice it:
Careful you don’t bump your head – the ceiling’s very low.bang/bash to hit something hard, so that you hurt yourself or damage something:
He banged into the car in front. I bashed my knee climbing over a gate. She fell and bashed her chin on the ground.stub to hit your toe against something and hurt it:
I stubbed my toe on the piano leg.bestseller a book that a lot of people buy:
His prize-winning book ‘A Year in Provence’ became an international bestseller.blockbuster a film that a lot of people watch, especially an exciting film:
a Hollywood blockbuster a blockbuster moviesell-out a concert, sports event etc which so many people want to see that all the tickets are sold:
The concert was a sell-out. the band’s sell-out tour of the UScult movie/band/figure etc a film, band, person etc that has become very popular and fashionable with a particular group of people:
a cult TV programmecraze something that suddenly becomes popular, so that a lot of people do it, buy it etc:
the latest dance craze that has been sweeping the US the craze for ultra expensive designer jeansfad informal something that is very popular for a short time – used about something that you disapprove of, which you do not think will last for very long:
Most diets are just fads. I think it’s a passing fad. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
popular liked by a lot of people:
a popular restaurant Marmaris is one of Turkey’s most popular tourist destinations. His films were hugely popular.well-liked used about someone who many people like:
He is an experienced and well-liked member of the team. Stein is well-respected and well-liked by the troops.big/huge [not before noun] informal very popular, especially in a particular place:
The band are big in Europe. Apparently this type of game is huge in Japan.hot informal someone or something that is hot, is very popular or fashionable and everyone wants to use them, see them, buy them etc:
one of this year’s hottest fashion trends a hot young singer from Nashvillebestseller a book that a lot of people buy:
His prize-winning book ‘A Year in Provence’ became an international bestseller.blockbuster a film that a lot of people watch, especially an exciting film:
a Hollywood blockbuster a blockbuster moviehit something such as a song, show, or film which is very popular and successful:
The band played all their old hits. The film was a box-office hit (=a lot of people went to see it at the cinema). She stars in ABC’s hit show ‘Desperate Housewives’.sell-out a concert, sports event etc which so many people want to see that all the tickets are sold:
The concert was a sell-out. the band’s sell-out tour of the UScult movie/band/figure etc a film, band, person etc that has become very popular and fashionable with a particular group of people:
a cult TV programmecraze something that suddenly becomes popular, so that a lot of people do it, buy it etc:
the latest dance craze that has been sweeping the US the craze for ultra expensive designer jeansfad informal something that is very popular for a short time – used about something that you disapprove of, which you do not think will last for very long:
Most diets are just fads. I think it’s a passing fad. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲