hit the road

VERB

[/hɪt ðə roʊd/]

to leave or start a journey; to begin traveling

💡 Concept

Time to hit the road before the sun gets too high!

🎵 Rhyme

Fit the code, quit the mode, then hit the road!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

Start Free Demo

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/hɪt ðə roʊd/

🇬🇧 UK/hɪt ðə rəʊd/

🌳Etymology

Origin

This phrase emerged in early 20th-century America with the proliferation of automobiles. The expression evolved from the literal sense of 'striking the road' to mean 'setting out on a journey' or 'departing,' reflecting the cultural shift toward automobile travel and road-based mobility.

Breakdown

hit (strike, set upon) + the (definite article) + road (pathway, route) = to embark on a journey or depart for travel.

🎵Rhyme

hit the loadfit the codequit the mode

hit the load

fit the code

quit the mode

🔗Collocations

time to hit the road

let's hit the road

hit the road early

hit the road running

ready to hit the road

📝Examples

“We need to hit the road by 6 AM to avoid traffic.”

😄 Fun example

“The boss told me to hit the road after I accidentally sent a cat meme to all clients.”

“After graduation, many students hit the road to explore the world.”

😄 Fun example

“My GPS kept saying 'hit the road' but I was already driving - apparently it was broken!”

📚Related Words

Synonyms

set offget goinghead outdeparttake off

Antonyms

arrivestay putremain

journeytraveldepartureroad tripget moving

Want to master 19,000+ words?

Start for Free 60s Demo

hit the road — to leave or start a journey; to begin traveling

Example Sentences