Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to hit it big

to hit it big

9 5.1
To become very successful, often quickly
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : triunfar
  • Many actors dream of one day hitting it big in Hollywood.
  • really hit it big
  • finally hit it big
  • hit it big in music

One, when he says, when he's first like really hitting it big and he says the thrill of getting caught in your own traffic.

Examples

  • After years of hard work, she finally hit it big with her new music album.

  • When I hit it big, everyone said I should buy a house in Beverly Hills, Bel Air or Malibu.

    Envy (2004)

  • First day on the job, and I hit it big.

    The Super (1991)

  • About ten years ago, before they all hit it big, they used to hang together at this bar.

    Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

  • We hit it big here, boys!

    Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story (2016)

  • Then my dad hit it big at work and we moved to the house we live in now.

    North Hollywood (2021)

  • But I'm going to hit it big one day, and soon.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Every couple of years, we all hear about the authors who hit it big.

    Blog text (24)

  • One of the first small business owners to hit it big was Madame C. J. Walker, America's first Black female millionaire.

    Blog text (32)

  • By 2010, the former stand-up had hit it big with a string of blockbuster movies, including Hammy the Bear 1, 2 and 3.

    Top Five (2014)

Synonyms

to make it
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
207 3.4

To become very successful in a job or career

focuses on the same career success rather than general fame
to arrive
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
103 7.3

To become very successful and well known in your job

is about achieving big success rather than the informal tone
to go far
vsto hit it big
42 3.2

To become very successful or important in a career

focuses on big achievement often in a career rather than long influence
to hit the jackpot
vsto hit it big
24 4.0

To have a big, unexpected success because of luck

describes large achievement that may be planned rather than lucky
to make it big
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
18 4.1

Become very successful in a job or career

is the same idea but stated with career emphasis
to hit a home run
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
17 3.4

To have a big success people do not expect

describes major success generally rather than a single standout result
to make your mark
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
11 4.1

To get noticed for your work in an area, for example in art or business

refers to larger career success rather than just earning recognition
to hit pay dirt
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
8 7.5

To find big success or money after trying hard

focuses on major success generally rather than effort leading to profit
to hit the big time
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
7 4.5

To become very successful and famous in your work

is similar but stresses the act of achieving major success
to reach the summit
vsto hit it big
6 3.1

Get to the top of a mountain or the highest point in your career

is about achieving great success without implying the absolute top
to hit one out of the ballpark
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
1 7.4

Do much better than expected

means great success but not necessarily beyond normal expectations
to blow the doors off
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
1 7.2

To do much better than people expect

covers major success generally rather than dramatic outperforming
to knock out of the box
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
8.0

To impress many people by doing something very well

covers large success without stressing spectacle or surprise
to make one's mark
vsto hit it big
  • Informal
4.8

Get recognition and success in a field

means broader great success, not only reputation building

Antonyms

to fail
898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

How Successful

to thrive
241 3.2
to hit it big
  • Informal
9 5.1
to succeed
846 2.0
to do well
520 1.2

Surface Forms

hit it big infinitive
hit it big past
hit it big past participle
hitting it big present participle
hits it big third person singular

Morphology

hit + it + big

The components 'hit' (to reach/achieve) and 'big' (large/important), with 'it' as a placeholder, yield a plausible literal interpretation of 'achieve something large,' so a learner who knows the words can get the general idea. However, the phrase functions as a colloquial idiom for sudden or notable success and relies on an idiomatic collocation and pragmatic nuance that are not fully predictable, so some exposure is needed for the exact meaning.

Etymology

Hit it big may come from the picture of a gambler hitting a very big prize, like a jackpot. So, it now means 'to become very successful'.