What does hitting mean?
Hitting is the present participle of hit, and it describes an action in progress: striking a person or object, coming into contact with a surface, reaching a target, or entering a place or activity. In everyday usage, it often implies force: 'The ball was hitting the ground,' or 'He was hitting the ball.' It can also describe strong effects on people or organizations, as in 'the losses were hitting the company hard,' and can mean beginning an experience, as in 'hitting the road.' The expression 'hitting on' additionally means discussing or focusing on a particular subject, while 'hitting someone up' is informal American English for contacting them. Hitting may also refer informally to using illegal drugs. As a noun, it is less common and normally refers to the act or quality of striking forcefully, often in contexts such as boxing or baseball.
Hitting is the present participle of hit: it describes striking or coming into forceful contact with something, reaching a target, affecting someone strongly, or beginning an activity or journey.
"The cyclist was hitting the road at top speed."
The form can be used as a gerund in phrases such as 'hitting the books' and 'hitting the road'. In informal American English, 'hitting someone up' means contacting them.
As a noun, hitting means the act or quality of striking forcefully, especially in boxing, baseball, or another physical activity.
"The team's relentless hitting overwhelmed the opposing defence."
This noun use is relatively uncommon and often forms part of a compound such as 'hard hitting'.
The plural 'hittings' is rare; the noun is normally used uncountably, especially in the sense of forceful striking.
"The two hittings were recorded by the cameras."
A hit can mean a powerful blow, a successful song, or a person who gains someone's attention—the same word covers strikingly different ideas.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hitting come from?
Hitting is the modern inflection of hit, a verb that has been used in English since the Old English period. Old English hittan belonged to a Germanic word family concerned with striking or colliding. The modern English form developed through sound changes and the loss of the Old English infinitive ending. The present-participle form hitting follows the usual English pattern in which a silent e is dropped before the -ing suffix.
Related word forms
How hitting is actually used
Hitting is the present participle of hit and is commonly used with the preposition 'at' or 'on' when describing a target: 'hitting at the problem' or 'hitting on an idea'. In informal contexts, 'hitting' can mean using illegal drugs. The noun use, 'a hard hitting', is uncommon and usually appears in contexts involving forceful impact, such as 'the team's hitting was relentless'.
Easily confused with hitting
Hitting means striking or reaching something, whereas hitching means fastening, attaching, or briefly travelling in an unusual way.
Hitting is the present participle of hit, used to describe an action in progress; a hit is the completed act or impact.