# hit the bottle

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/hit-the-bottle
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To drink alcohol steadily and in excess, particularly in response to a setback.

## Examples

- After losing his job, he started to hit the bottle.
- When her marriage ended, she hit the bottle for months before seeking help.
- Grief-stricken and alone in the empty house, the widower began to hit the bottle with grim determination each evening at dusk.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.