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Glite Dictionary
to hit the ground

to hit the ground

64 3.6
Touch the ground after falling or being dropped
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : caer al suelo
  • When the stone hit the ground, it made a loud noise.
  • ball hits the ground

It's ridiculous because they were told to hit the ground and don't move.

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Examples

  • I thought I was really doing it until I hit the ground.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • A coffin was slid out the rear, slipped, and hit the ground with a bang.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Did you see the way the guy's body hit the ground?

    Ted (2012)

  • Think about what happens if they hit the ground.

    United 93 (2006)

  • When they hit the ground, I hear the sound of empty streets.

  • Black spots formed before her eyes, and she felt her body hit the ground.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • You did perfectly, except for the one little moment when your skull hit the ground.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • A thin, white light snapped through the air and hit the ground near her foot.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • So this happens when a meteorite hits the ground and it creates glass, basically.

  • And when they hit the ground, they shatter into a million splinters.

    Dear Luke, Love, Me (2024)

Synonyms

to fall
vsto hit the ground
∞ 1.0

Move or drop down from a higher to a lower place

is focused on the final surface contact, not the downward motion
to strike
vsto hit the ground
553 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

is unintended contact with the surface after falling
to fall down
vsto hit the ground
250 1.0

Suddenly move from a standing position to the ground or a lower level

is about the final surface contact, not the losing balance action
to hit the deck
vsto hit the ground
  • Informal
10 6.5

To drop to the ground quickly to avoid danger

is the neutral physical contact outcome without the avoidance purpose
to hit the dirt
vsto hit the ground
  • Informal
3 7.5

Drop to the ground quickly to avoid danger

is neutral about speed or intent and notes only the surface contact

Antonyms

to take off
478 1.9

To leave the ground and begin to fly

to lift off
20 3.9

To rise into the air from the ground like a plane or rocket

How Hard

smash
7 3.7
to crash
481 2.2
to hit the ground
64 3.6
to land
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

hit the ground infinitive

Morphology

hit + the + ground

The meaning 'to make physical contact with the ground' is directly and transparently derived from the verb 'hit' (to strike) combined with the noun 'ground' (the earth's surface) with a definite article. This is a literal, compositional verb + object construction common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Hit the ground creates a simple picture: when something falls or is dropped, it finally touches the earth. So it means 'to make physical contact with the ground'.