to hit the gas

Examples

• All

• And there's a cop yelling at them, and Bourne hits the gas; they fly out of their parking space.

  Fiction book (2002)

• I cut hard left onto Main Road and hit the gas, heading back west.

  Fiction book (1997)

• I hit the gas as hard as I possibly could.

  The Mothman Legacy (2020)

• An hour ago we could have hit the gas, no problem.

  Fiction book (1998)

• With the door open, I'll jump in and you hit the gas.

  Pound of Flesh (2015)

• Thrilled to put distance between herself and the airport, she turned onto the coast road and hit the gas.

  Fiction book (1999)

• We hit the gas so hard that our heads got flown against the back of the car.

• Just as she reached for the door handle, Doug hit the gas and drove the car about ten feet forward.

  Fiction book (1991)

• I got out of there, eager to hit the gas and throw some gravel behind me.

  Fiction book (1998)

• Panicked, the housewife hits the gas and peels out, leaving a confused Dylan staring skyward.

  Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

H

to hurry up

vsto hit the gas

• Informal

637 1.0

To move or act more quickly to avoid being late

is more vehicle-centered, referring to speeding up by using controls

A

to accelerate

vsto hit the gas

• Specialized

331 3.7

To move faster or make something happen faster

is a more informal vehicle-focused way to cause faster movement

S

to speed

vsto hit the gas

191 1.0

To make something move or happen faster

is the informal, physical action used to cause that faster movement

S

to speed up

vsto hit the gas

161 2.5

To make something move or happen faster

is specifically about doing so by using the vehicle speed control

S

to step on it

vsto hit the gas

• Informal

35 5.2

To hurry and go faster, often when driving

is used similarly but highlights the physical car control action

F

to floor it

vsto hit the gas

• Informal

17 8.0

Press the gas pedal all the way to make the car go very fast

refers to speeding up but not necessarily to the maximum degree

S

to step on the gas

vsto hit the gas

• Informal

9 3.7

To press the pedal in a car to make it go faster or hurry to finish something

is the same idea, focusing on that quick pedal press

P

to put the pedal to the metal

vsto hit the gas

• Informal

7 6.3

To drive or work as fast as possible, often to finish something

expresses quicker movement but may be less extreme in force

G

to gain speed

vsto hit the gas

3 2.5

To start moving faster

emphasizes an immediate action to increase speed via a control

H

to hit the accelerator

vsto hit the gas

• Informal

1 4.4

To try harder or work faster to reach a goal

is more about the quick vehicle control action to speed up

R

to rev up

vsto hit the gas

• Informal

1 5.1

To make a car or motorcycle engine run faster

is similar but focuses on pressing the speed control directly

Antonyms

S

to slow down

687 1.4

To move or act more slowly

D

to decelerate

10 5.5

To slow down

How Fast

to floor it

• Informal

17 8.0

to hit the gas

• Informal

8 3.6

to speed up

161 2.5

to keep it moving

• Informal

161 4.4

to slow down

687 1.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology