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Glite Dictionary
to hit the hay

to hit the hay

8 6.0
To go to bed to sleep after a long day
  • idiom
  • /hɪt ðə heɪ/
  • Informal
translation icon : irse a la cama
  • After a long day at work, I am ready to hit the hay and get some sleep.
  • going to hit the hay
  • Time to hit the hay
  • just hit the hay

I'm almost done editing and then I'm going to hit the hay.

Examples

Synonyms

to go to bed
vsto hit the hay
485 1.0

To get into bed to sleep

expresses the same action but with a more casual image
to go to sleep
vsto hit the hay
369 1.0

To stop being awake and rest with your eyes closed

focuses on preparing to sleep, not the exact moment sleep starts
to call it a night
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
52 3.2

Stop what you are doing for the evening, usually to go to bed or go home

focuses specifically on going to bed after a long day
to turn in
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
27 3.5

To go to bed to sleep

is similar but often sounds more casual and everyday
to retire
vsto hit the hay
  • Formal
16 5.8

Go to bed to sleep, usually at night

is the casual, everyday way to say going to bed after work
to hit the sack
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
10 6.0

To go to bed to sleep

is the same idea but uses a different informal image
to sack out
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
4 7.5

To go to bed to sleep

is similar in informality but emphasizes ending a long day
to bed down
vsto hit the hay
4 4.5

To sleep in a temporary place like a barn or tent

applies to normal bedtime after a long day, not improvised sleep
to hit the pillow
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
4 3.7

To go to bed and fall asleep quickly because you are tired

refers more generally to going to bed after a long day
to crawl in
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
3 3.3

To go to bed slowly because you feel very tired

is used more generally for going to bed after long work
to hit the sheets
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
1 8.6

To go to bed to sleep

is the same informal idea focused on ending the day
to fall in the sack
vsto hit the hay
  • Informal
8.8

To go to bed or sleep

is similar but more tied to finishing a tiring day
to kip down
vsto hit the hay
  • UK
9.6

To sleep somewhere for a short time, often on a sofa

describes going to bed at day's end in normal settings

Antonyms

to stay up
  • Informal
253 2.4

To be awake later than usual

How Sleepy

to conk out
  • Informal
7 8.1
to fall asleep
376 1.0
to hit the hay
  • Informal
8 6.0
to go to bed
485 1.0

Surface Forms

hit the hay infinitive

Morphology

hit + the + hay

The sense 'to go to bed' is not predictably derived from the literal words 'hit' (to strike) and 'hay' (dried grass); the phrase is a cultural/idiomatic reference to sleeping on hay rather than a compositional meaning. Because that historical/bucolic connection is not obvious to most B1 learners, the expression functions as an idiom and is not transparently interpretable from its parts.

Etymology

The idiom hit the hay may come from when people slept on beds filled with hay or straw and would hit the mattress to make it flat before sleep. That's why the phrase now means 'to go to bed'.