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Glite Dictionary
to hit the trail

to hit the trail

4 4.9
To start a trip by walking in the countryside
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : emprender el camino
  • As soon as the weather cleared up, we packed our gear and hit the trail for an adventure.
  • hit the trail again
  • hit the trail before dawn
  • let's hit the trail

Examples

  • Sometimes I still leave everything and hit the trail with my backpack and my knife.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • All right, I should really hit the trail.

    No Appointment Necessary (2017)

  • We're gonna hit the trail!

    Spice World (1997)

  • Time to hit the trails.

    Onward (2020)

  • Now, let's hit the trail.

    Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

  • We have two RVs and are looking for a location or site where you can camp and just grab your bike and hit the trail.

    Blog text (14)

  • Sometimes your kids—and you—need a little extra incentive to hit the trail.

    Blog text (4)

  • Every Saturday, I like to hit the trail early in the morning for a hike in the mountains.

  • With the sun rising, they decided it was time to hit the trail and explore the nearby forest.

Synonyms

to hike
vsto hit the trail
120 2.0

To walk for a long time in the countryside for exercise or pleasure

focuses on starting a journey rather than the walking activity itself
to start out
vsto hit the trail
39 2.5

To leave a place to go to another place

adds the idea of beginning an outdoor walk or countryside hike

Antonyms

to stay put
  • Informal
133 2.0

Remain in the same place without moving

halt
109 2.3

A stop in movement or activity

How Ready

to hit the trail
4 4.9
to hit the road
  • Informal
90 2.5
to set out
66 2.4

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

hit + the + trail

The phrase uses literal words ('hit' + 'trail') whose basic meanings (strike; a path) give a plausible image of setting out on a path, so learners can often infer 'begin a journey' from the constituents. However, the use of 'hit' in the sense 'set out on' is a colloquial, metaphorical extension rather than a regular compositional pattern, so the exact sense is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Hit the trail comes from the picture of someone stepping onto a path to begin a walk; hit means to go or start, and trail is a path. So, hit the trail means 'to begin a journey' or 'start hiking'.