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Antonyms for hit upon


Grammar : Verb
Spell : hit
Phonetic Transcription : hɪt



Definition of hit upon

Origin :
  • late Old English hyttan, hittan "come upon, meet with, fall in with, 'hit' upon," from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse hitta "to light upon, meet with," also "to hit, strike;" Swedish hitta "to find," Danish and Norwegian hitte "to hit, find," from Proto-Germanic *hitjanan. Related: Hitting. Meaning shifted in late Old English period to "strike," via "to reach with a blow or missile," and replaced Old English slean in this sense. Original sense survives in phrases such as hit it off (1780, earlier in same sense hit it, 1630s) and is revived in hit on (1970s).
  • Underworld slang meaning "to kill by plan" is 1955 (as a noun in this sense from 1970). To hit the bottle "drink alcohol" is from 1889. To hit the nail on the head (1570s) is from archery. Hit the road "leave" is from 1873; to hit (someone) up "request something" is from 1917. Hit and run is 1899 as a baseball play, 1924 as a driver failing to stop at a crash he caused. To not know what hit (one) is from 1923.
  • As in locate : verb find
  • As in solve : verb answer, resolve
  • As in strike : verb find, discover
  • As in turn up : verb discover or be discovered
  • As in uncover : verb reveal, disclose
  • As in unearth : verb dig up
  • As in catch : verb find out, discover
  • As in chance : verb happen
  • As in come across : verb encounter, find
  • As in contrive : verb bring about, succeed with difficulty
  • As in detect : verb discover
  • As in encounter : verb happen upon
  • As in find : verb catch sight of, lay hands on
Example sentences :
  • It was found necessary, therefore, to hit upon some other method of carrying on the war.
  • Extract from : « Tanglewood Tales » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • They say every one has a subject, and I certainly seem to have hit upon yours, Amy.
  • Extract from : « Little Dorrit » by Charles Dickens
  • Have you hit upon any theory to account for the sending of these letters?
  • Extract from : « The Film of Fear » by Arnold Fredericks
  • It was then he hit upon the plan I have just told you about.
  • Extract from : « The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol. 1 (of 2) » by Harry Furniss
  • Those I had hit upon were ridiculous and impossible, and I put them from my mind.
  • Extract from : « The Rise of Roscoe Paine » by Joseph C. Lincoln
  • That was the real riddle, and I had not, as yet, hit upon a plausible answer.
  • Extract from : « The Rise of Roscoe Paine » by Joseph C. Lincoln
  • If they ever touched a premium for a day, that is certainly the day that he would have hit upon to buy.
  • Extract from : « The Market-Place » by Harold Frederic
  • They happed to have hit upon the same saloon that Wyck patronised.
  • Extract from : « Australia Revenged » by Boomerang
  • The matter of a bath rather stumped us for a while, until we hit upon a shower.
  • Extract from : « Disowned » by Victor Endersby
  • There, my child, there, they indeed have hit upon a characteristic.
  • Extract from : « Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I. » by Charles James Lever

Synonyms for hit upon

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019