Dictionary

hit on en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (slang, transitive) To flirt with; to approach and speak to (someone), seeking romance, love, sex, etc.
   • Anne watched as he put an arm around one of the bridesmaids and gave her a decidedly ungrandfatherly squeeze while attempting to look down her dress, then proceeded to hit on the mother of the groom. 2015, Sheila Roberts, A Wedding on Primrose Street, MIRA, →ISBN, page 181:
   • That's the third guy that has hit on her tonight.
   • Guys are hitting on them almost all the time.
   • Don Iguan: I have slithered the world over in search of beauty such as yours! Perhaps you'd like to come back to my lair this evening. I'll light some candles... put on some beetle music... Mom: I'm married. Go hit on your sister. 2003 September 23, Bill Amend, FoxTrot (comic):
2. (idiomatic, transitive) To discover, pinpoint; to think up; to realize.
   • He hit on a great idea for improving the design.
   • I think you've just hit right on the solution.
   • About a year ago, OpenAI researchers hit on a new way of improving these models. Instead of letting them respond to queries immediately, the researchers allowed the models to run for a period of time and “reason” in natural language about their answers. 2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow and Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in Time:
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hit, on.
   • He was hit on his head so strongly that he stumbled forward and then he was severely hit from several sides. 1996, Global Journal on Human Rights Law, page 210:

Forms

Relateds

hit upon

Synonyms

make a pass · come on · proposition · pass

Translations (47)

es echar los perros (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · cs flirtovat (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · pl wpadać (to think up; to realize; to invent) · pl wymyślić (to think up; to realize; to invent) · cs vymýšlet (to think up; to realize; to invent) · pt dar em cima (de) (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · es tirar los tejos (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · el την πέφτω σε (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · he הִתְחִיל (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · pl poderwać (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · cs přijít na co (to think up; to realize; to invent) · ru заи́грывать (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · cs sbalit (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · pl wymyślać (to think up; to realize; to invent) · ms memikat (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · fr cruiser (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · ja 口説く (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · no sjekke (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · pl wpaść (to think up; to realize; to invent) · ja 戯れる (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · az tutmaq (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · ja ナンパする (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · fi keksiä (to think up; to realize; to invent) · cs napadnout (to think up; to realize; to invent) · de anbaggern (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · da lægge an på (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · cmn 調情 /调情 (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · tr asılmak (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · fi iskeä (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · cs vymyslet (to think up; to realize; to invent) · ja いちゃつく (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · es propasarse con (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · sv ragga på (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · cs balit (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · es insinuarse (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · es ligar (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · ja 言い寄る (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · it provarci con (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · de anmachen (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · fr draguer (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · ms pikat (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · id mengorat (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · srn tyant (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · cmn 挑逗 (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · es meter fichas (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · pl podrywać (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.) · sv stöta på (to approach somebody seeking love, sex, etc.)