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Glite Dictionary
to hit the books

to hit the books

12 3.9
To study hard, usually by reading books or notes
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : ponerse a estudiar
  • Picture Mom's reaction if her third-grader neglects his homework: "Hit the books, son!"
  • hit the books hard
  • just hit the books
  • gotta hit the books

So I just fucking hit the books.

Examples

  • Time to start hitting the books, I suppose.

    Blog text (29)

  • I understand freshmen really have to hit the books at Duke.

    The Man in the Moon (1991)

  • Yeah, I gotta hit the books, too.

    Saving Christmas (2017)

  • You better hit the books, Brother Blue.

    Hellboy (2004)

  • "We'll hit the books after dinner."

    Fiction book (1998)

  • - You been hitting the books?

    To Save a Life (2009)

  • You hit the books tonight, and I'll listen to you tomorrow.

    Presumed Innocent (1990)

  • Most weekdays, I wake up around 8 AM, do my morning wake-up things, and then start hitting the books.

    Blog text (16)

  • Whether you're dealing with public school, private school, home school, or virtual school, most everyone is back to hitting the books (unless you're somewhere that does year-round schooling).

    Blog text (14)

  • I need to hit the books tonight to prepare for my exams.

Synonyms

to study
vsto hit the books
∞ 1.0

To learn about a subject by reading or going to classes

is about starting intense learning rather than general ongoing learning
to bone up
vsto hit the books
  • Informal
9 7.6

To study quickly before an exam or important event

is about starting intense learning not only brief preexam cramming
to grind away
vsto hit the books
  • Informal
1 6.3

Work hard for a long time on something, often before an exam or deadline

is about starting intense learning rather than long persistent effort
to swot up
vsto hit the books
  • UK
8.2

Study something a lot in a short time to prepare for an exam

is about starting intense learning rather than exam only preparation
to mug up
vsto hit the books
  • Indian
8.3

To study a lot in a short time before a test

is about starting intense learning rather than only exam preparation

Antonyms

to procrastinate
26 6.5

To delay doing something you should do because you avoid it

to slack off
  • Informal
3 3.9

To become less strong or busy

How Hard

all-nighter
  • Informal
26 5.1
to cram
15 3.9
to hit the books
  • Informal
12 3.9
to pore over
28 5.5
to review
106 1.8
to study
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

hit the books infinitive
hit the books past
hit the books past participle
hitting the books present participle
hits the books third person singular

Morphology

hit + the + book

The verb 'hit' combined with 'books' uses a metaphorical verb use (not literal striking) to mean 'begin studying intensely'; the domain ('books') makes the general intent clear but the specific idiomatic framing is not fully predictable from the parts alone. A B1 learner who knows 'hit' and 'book' might guess the general idea from context, but would still need exposure to recognize the conventionalized collocation, so the MWE is partially but not fully transparent.

Etymology

Hit the books comes from a simple image: a student would literally hit a pile of books or open them with a bang to show they were beginning to study. So it means 'to study hard' or 'to start studying intensely'.