Meaning & use
hitting on someone
Last updated
“hitting on someone” is a form of “hit on”.
Meanings
phrasephrasal verbinformal
Showing someone clear romantic or sexual interest, often in a forward way, usually when you have only just met.
Grammar: The object follows on: he kept hitting on her, not hitting her on.
Patterns
- hit on someone
- keep hitting on someone
A stranger at the party kept hitting on her all evening.
He was hitting on the waitress, and she looked uncomfortable.
I think my coworker is hitting on me, but I am not sure.
phrasephrasal verbinformalAmerican
In American English, asking someone for something, such as money or a favor, in a persistent way.
Grammar: Used with a person as object, often followed by for: hit on someone for cash.
Patterns
- hit on someone for something
He is always hitting on his friends for money.
She stopped hitting on her brother for rides.
Word forms
| base form | hit on |
|---|---|
| third person singular | hits on |
| past tense and past participle | hit on |
| -ing form | hitting on |
Common combinations
- keep hitting on someone
- Stop letting him keep hitting on you.
- be hitting on someone
- I could tell she was hitting on him.
- start hitting on someone
- He started hitting on my friend at the bar.
- accuse someone of hitting on
- She accused him of hitting on every new employee.
- hitting on someone at a party
- Hitting on someone at a party can feel awkward.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flirting with
- Flirting with is lighter and often playful and mutual, while hitting on suggests a more direct and sometimes unwelcome approach.
- chatting up
- Chatting up is the British equivalent, usually milder, and centers on conversation.
- making a pass at
- Making a pass at is slightly old-fashioned and describes a single move, not ongoing attention.
- coming on to
- Coming on to stresses a strongly sexual approach and sounds more pushy than hitting on.
Opposites
Word family
- hit on phrasal verb
- to make romantic advances toward someone
- hit verb
- to strike or reach something
- hit-on noun
- rare noun use for such an advance
Commonly confused: hitting on someone or hit upon?
hitting on someone vs hit upon
Hit upon means to find an idea by chance, as in hit upon a solution, and has nothing to do with romance.
Practice
My friend felt uncomfortable because a man at the bar kept ____ her.
Choose one answer.
Hit on means to show unwelcome romantic interest. Hit up can mean ask for something and hit out means attack, so they do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hitting on someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.