hit out

British

verb

to direct blows forcefully and vigorously
to make a verbal attack (upon someone)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hit out Idioms

Make a violent verbal or physical attack; also, strike aimlessly. For example, The star hit out at the press for their lukewarm reviews, or The therapist said patients often hit out in frustration. [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On Thursday, Wolves manager Rob Edwards and Sunderland counterpart Regis le Bris also hit out at the abuse their players had suffered.

From BBC

Napoli hit out at "shameful" refereeing after slipping to a 2-1 loss at top-four rivals Atalanta.

From Barron's

After the match, Mourinho hit out at Vinicius for inciting Benfica's players and fans with his celebration following his winning goal in the first leg of the knockout phase play-off tie.

From Barron's

He apologised to anyone who felt uncomfortable because of his behaviour but hit out at "false rumours and misinformation".

From BBC

LIV Golf has hit out at what it calls an "unprecedented" ruling that will see only the top 10 finishers at its events awarded world ranking points.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023