hit the sack

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   To go to bed, usually because you are tired.

   Grammar: Used as an intransitive verb phrase: it takes no object, and the subject is the person going to bed.

   Patterns

   • someone hits the sack
   • time to hit the sack
   • I'm going to hit the sack

   It's almost midnight, so I think I'll hit the sack.

   After the long drive, we hit the sack as soon as we got to the hotel.

   You look exhausted — go hit the sack and we'll talk in the morning.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Used to announce that you are going to bed now, often when saying goodnight.

   Grammar: Said on its own as a short sentence, usually with 'I'm going to' or 'I'll'.

   Patterns

   • I'm going to hit the sack
   • I'll hit the sack

   Right, I'm going to hit the sack. See you tomorrow.

   I'll hit the sack now — don't stay up too late.

Common combinations

hit the sack early

I want to hit the sack early tonight because I have an early flight.

hit the sack late

We hit the sack late after the party and slept until ten.

time to hit the sack

It's time to hit the sack; we have a busy day tomorrow.

hit the sack for the night

She hit the sack for the night as soon as the guests left.

finally hit the sack

He finally hit the sack at two in the morning.

Synonyms and how they differ

go to bed

The plain, neutral way to say this; use it in formal writing, where 'hit the sack' would sound too casual.

turn in

Also informal and means the same, but it is a little more old-fashioned and often used by older speakers.

go to sleep

Focuses on falling asleep rather than getting into bed, so it is not a perfect swap.

Opposites

Commonly confused: hit the sack or hit the hay?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hit the sack”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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