Meaning & use
hitting rock bottom
Last updated
“hitting rock bottom” is a form of “hit rock bottom”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
phraseidiominformalfigurative
reaching the lowest, worst point in a situation, especially before things start to improve
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase with no object; often follows 'be' or 'keep'.
Patterns
- be hitting rock bottom
- keep hitting rock bottom
- hitting rock bottom in something
After losing his job and his home, he felt he was hitting rock bottom.
The company was hitting rock bottom last year, but now sales are rising.
She knew she was hitting rock bottom when she couldn't pay for food.
Common combinations
- hit rock bottom
- He hit rock bottom after the divorce and started drinking.
- reach rock bottom
- The team reached rock bottom when they lost ten games in a row.
- at rock bottom
- Prices are at rock bottom, so it's a good time to buy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hit bottom
- A shorter, less emphatic version of the same idea, often used in American English.
- reach a low point
- More neutral and formal; it doesn't carry the strong emotional sense of 'rock bottom'.
Opposites
Word family
- rock bottom noun
- The lowest possible level or point.
Commonly confused: hitting rock bottom or hit the bottom?
hitting rock bottom vs hit the bottom
'Hit the bottom' can mean literally touching the bottom of something (like a pool), while 'hit rock bottom' is almost always figurative.
Practice
After months of struggling, the business was ______ rock bottom.
Choose one answer.
The sentence uses 'was', so the -ing form 'hitting' is needed after the auxiliary verb. 'Hit' would be wrong because 'was hit' is passive, and 'hits' doesn't agree with 'was'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hitting rock bottom”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.