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hit on

B1 informal inseparable transitive
In simple words

To try to get someone to like you in a romantic way, OR to suddenly think of a good idea.

Literal meaning: To make contact with something — the jump to 'flirt' or 'discover' is fully idiomatic.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic informal

To make romantic or sexual advances toward someone, often in an unsolicited way.

"A man at the bar kept hitting on her even after she said she wasn't interested."

"He's hitting on you, genius."

— The Big Bang Theory, Season 1, Episode 1 (2007)
Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

To discover or think of something, especially a good idea or solution, often by accident.

"After hours of brainstorming, the team finally hit on the perfect marketing strategy."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

The flirting sense is predominantly American English and can carry a mildly unwelcome connotation (unsolicited advances). In British English, 'chat up' is more common for this sense. The 'discover an idea' sense is standard in both varieties.

Commonly used with

idea solution answer stranger bartender formula

Forms

Base
hit on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hits on
he/she/it
Past simple
hit on
yesterday
Past participle
hit on
have + pp
-ing form
hitting on
continuous

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