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Glite Dictionary
to hit upon

to hit upon

7 4.9
To find or think of something by chance
  • phrasal verb
  • /hɪt əˈpɒn/
translation icon : dar con
  • While researching the history of the city, I hit upon an old map that revealed new information about its original layout.
  • hit upon an elegant solution
  • hit upon the idea

So it was a fully developed science that through a couple of years of hard work, I hit upon just at the right moment.

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Examples

  • After a couple of false starts, the research team hit upon an elegant solution.

    Academic text (2009)

  • So I tried journalism, I tried Hollywood, I tried all these other forms and then I hit upon the one that worked, which was writing non fiction books.

  • So it was a fully developed science that through a couple of years of hard work, I hit upon just at the right moment.

    Film Courage

  • And, and as I was telling the story, it hit upon me that actually I was doing something.

  • One of those unions might well hit upon a successful organizing strategy.

    Blog text (29)

  • Perhaps you've hit upon something for once.

    Sylvia Scarlett (1935)

  • Former World War I aviators, hoping to make a living flying, hit upon an exciting new form of entertainment: aerial acrobatics.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Apps like ShopSavvy and RedLaser have clearly hit upon an unfulfilled need.

    Blog text (29)

  • The educational outreach staff at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific hit upon an intellectual goldmine when they created Family ASTRO.

    Academic text (2007)

  • After many attempts to solve the puzzle, she finally hit upon the answer that everyone had been searching for.

Synonyms

to find
vsto hit upon
∞ 1.0

To discover something while looking or by accident

leans toward unexpected ideas or discoveries that follow prior thought
to discover
vsto hit upon
∞ 1.0

To find out about something for the first time, often by chance

often implies a sudden idea after prior searching or pondering instead
to come across
vsto hit upon
244 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

can result from earlier consideration or deliberate looking rather than pure chance
to come upon
vsto hit upon
50 2.2

To find something or someone by chance

often arises after searching or thinking rather than only by luck
to run across
vsto hit upon
43 2.7

Find something by chance while doing something else

more often follows deliberate thought or searching than casual meeting
to chance on
vsto hit upon
18 6.1

To find something or someone by accident while doing something else

usually happens after searching or considering, not solely by luck
to chance upon
vsto hit upon
3 5.1

Find someone or something by accident

often follows thinking or searching rather than being purely accidental
to light upon
vsto hit upon
2 5.6

To find something by chance

tends to follow searching or thinking rather than a sudden stumble

Antonyms

to overlook
243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

to miss
158 1.3

To be without something needed or expected

How Unexpected

to stumble
171 2.8
to hit upon
7 4.9
to discover
∞ 1.0
to find
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

hit upon infinitive
hit upon past
hit upon past participle
hitting upon present participle
hits upon third person singular

Morphology

hit + upon

The verb 'hit' conveys suddenness and 'upon' signals occurrence, so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer a sudden occurrence or realization — i.e., coming across or thinking of something unexpectedly. However, the specific sense 'to discover or think of by chance' is a metaphorical extension and relies on idiomatic verb+preposition usage, so it is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrasal verb hit upon creates a simple image: hit, meaning 'strike', and upon, meaning 'on', like an idea suddenly hitting your mind or you bumping into something by chance. That's why it means 'to discover or think of something unexpectedly'.