hit back

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hit back

1. to make forceful blows (against an attacker)

2. to respond vigorously (to a verbal attack)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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hit

verb

1. To deliver a powerful blow to suddenly and sharply:

bash, catch, clout, knock, pop, slam, slog, slug, smash, smite, sock, strike, swat, thwack, whack, wham, whop.

Informal: biff, bop, clip, wallop.

Slang: belt, conk, paste.

Idioms: let someone have it, sock it to someone.

2. To enter a person's mind:

occur, strike.

Idiom: cross one's mind.

3. Informal. To come upon, especially suddenly or unexpectedly:

catch, hit on (or upon), surprise, take.

phrasal verb
hit back

To return like for like, especially to return an unfriendly or hostile action with a similar one:

counter, reciprocate, retaliate, retort, strike back.

phrasal verb
hit on or upon

1. To come upon, especially suddenly or unexpectedly:

catch, surprise, take.

Informal: hit.

2. Informal. To reach (a goal or objective):

arrive at, attain, come to, gain, get to.

noun

1. A sudden sharp, powerful stroke:

bang, blow, clout, crack, lick, pound, slug, sock, swat, thwack, welt, whack, wham, whop.

Informal: bash, biff, bop, clip, wallop.

Slang: belt, conk, paste.

2. A dazzling, often sudden instance of success:

sleeper.

Informal: smash, smash hit, ten-strike, wow.

Slang: boff, boffo, boffola.

3. Slang. An inhalation, as of a cigar, pipe, or cigarette:

drag, draw, puff, pull.

4. Slang. The crime of murdering someone:

blood, homicide, killing, murder.

Translations

يَرُد الضَّرْبه أو الهُجوم

vráti ránu

zurückschlagen

svara í sömu mynt, slá til baka

contrattaccare replicare

vrátiť úder

karşılık vermekmukabele etmek

还击

w>hit back

vi (lit, fig) → zurückschlagen; to hit back at the enemy → zurückschlagen; he hit back at his critics → er gab seinen Kritikern Kontra; he hit back at the accusations → er wehrte sich gegen die Anschuldigungen

vt sep → zurückschlagen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

hit

(hit) – present participle ˈhitting: past tense, past participle hit – verb

1. to (cause or allow to) come into hard contact with. The ball hit him on the head; He hit his head on/against a low branch; The car hit a lamp-post; He hit me on the head with a bottle; He was hit by a bullet; That boxer can certainly hit hard!

2. to make hard contact with (something), and force or cause it to move in some direction. The batsman hit the ball (over the wall).

3. to cause to suffer. The farmers were badly hit by the lack of rain; Her husband's death hit her hard.

4. to find; to succeed in reaching. His second arrow hit the bull's-eye; Take the path across the fields and you'll hit the road; She used to be a famous soprano but she cannot hit the high notes now.

noun

1. the act of hitting. That was a good hit.

2. a point scored by hitting a target etc. He scored five hits.

3. something which is popular or successful. The play/record is a hit; (also adjective) a hit song.

ˌhit-and-ˈrun adjective

1. (of a driver) causing injury to a person and driving away without stopping or reporting the accident.

2. (of an accident) caused by such a driver.

ˌhit-or-ˈmiss adjective

without any system or planning; careless. hit-or-miss methods.

hit back

to hit (someone by whom one has been hit). He hit me, so I hit him back.

hit below the belt

to hit in an unfair way.

hit it off

to become friendly. We hit it off as soon as we met; I hit it off with him.

hit on

to find (an answer etc). We've hit on the solution at last.

hit out (often with againstor at)

to attempt to hit. The injured man hit out blindly at his attackers.

make a hit with

to make oneself liked or approved of by. That young man has made a hit with your daughter.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

He struck it, and then it was hit back by the courtiers who were playing with him.

View in context

He struck at me with his stick, but I caught the blow upon my little shield, and hit back. Wow!

View in context

There was a fixed rule that they must never hit back at meals, but should refer the matter of dispute to Wendy by raising the right arm politely and saying, "I complain of so-and-so;" but what usually happened was that they forgot to do this or did it too much.

View in context

Son, those same fellows would steal crusts from starving men and pull gold fillings from the mouths of corpses, yep, and squawk like Sam Scratch if some blamed corpse hit back. They're all tarred with the same brush, little and big.

View in context

The constable hadn't anything handy to hit back with, so he discharged a discontented sniff, and said nothing.

View in context

"What is it but a war between us and them, and we hit back where we best can."

View in context

His victims dare not hit back. If ever he blackmailed an innocent person, then indeed we should have him, but he is as cunning as the Evil One.

View in context

LABOUR TD Aodhan O Riordain has hit back after a secretly-recorded discussion he had about abortion was published in a national newspaper.

TD SLAMS PRO-LIFE 'STING'

Howard put Railway back into the lead but again Tanner hit back with Newton making it 2-2 at the break.

Tanner put the brakes on Railway's Founder Cup hopes; SKEM & DISTRICT

ENGLAND footballer Glen Johnson hit back at critic Paul Merson yesterday - branding him an "alcoholic drug abuser".

England star blasts 'alcoholic' Merson

Outside-half Gareth Morgan gave the home side the lead with two early penalties before Tonmawr hit back with a try for centre Darren Mitchell and a Dai Flanagan penalty.

Quins cling on to win

Aycliffe hit back to level the score, but Rangers scored two more goals through Graham Gibson and Jack Cooper to lead 3-1 at the break.