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to take a hit

to take a hit

4 8.9
To breathe in smoke from a cigarette or vape pen
  • phrasal verb
  • NSFW
translation icon : dar una calada
  • Anthony takes a hit.
  • took a hit from the joint
  • took a hit from the cigarette

No, Maybe you'd like to take a hit off that like I did.

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Examples

Synonyms

to smoke
vsto take a hit
1.0

To breathe in and out the fumes of tobacco

also covers inhaling vapor as well as fumes from burning substances
to inhale
vsto take a hit
84 2.7

To breathe in air, smoke, or gas into your lungs

is specific to smoke or vapor rather than regular breaths
to breathe in
vsto take a hit
54 1.0

To take air into your lungs through your nose or mouth

is about inhaling smoke or vapor not normal breathing
to draw
vsto take a hit
42 4.1

Breathe in air or smoke

is general inhalation not focused on a sucking action
to vape
vsto take a hit
  • Neologism
4 6.3

To breathe in and out vapor from an electronic cigarette

also covers inhaling burning smoke as well as vapor
to toke
vsto take a hit
  • NSFW
3 9.5

To breathe in smoke from a marijuana cigarette

is broader, covering smoke and vapor from various inhaling devices

How Deep

deep breath
205 2.2
to drag
12 8.1
to take a hit
  • NSFW
4 8.9
to puff
8 2.5

Surface Forms

take a hit infinitive
taking a hit present participle
takes a hit third person singular
took a hit past
taken a hit past participle

Morphology

take + a + hit

The meaning 'to experience a loss or setback' is directly derivable from combining 'take' (to receive) with 'hit' (a blow or damage) — the phrase literally means to receive a blow and metaphorically extends to reputation/finances. This metaphorical extension is common and predictable cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would very likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

The phrase take a hit comes from smoking: a hit is one strong inhale from a cigarette, joint, or vape, and to take a hit is to breathe in that single puff. So, it means 'to inhale smoke or vapor'.