hit out
To leave, set off, or head somewhere.
Also called hit out for, head out.
Updated September 24, 2026
hit out pronunciation
/HIT owt/
Meaning
Means you are getting gone. Often followed by "for" and a place: hit out for town, hit out for the creek. Country talk uses it when the truck is loaded and it is time to roll. Close cousin to "hit the road," just shorter.
How folks use it
- “We better hit out before that storm gets here.”
- “They hit out for the feed store right after breakfast.”
Origin and etymology
American colloquial "hit" for start moving, plus "out" for leaving. Writers have used "hit out for" a destination since at least the early 1900s. Rural Southern speakers keep it in everyday leave-taking talk alongside "head out" and "take off."