# hit the gas

idiom

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

## Meaning

To go; go faster.

## Examples

- We are late, so please hit the gas.
- The light turned green, so she hit the gas to get through the intersection before it changed again.
- Realizing they were being followed through the dark streets, he hit the gas and accelerated rapidly into the night to lose his pursuers.

## Origin

From the suggestion of engaging the gas pedal, or accelerator, in a motor vehicle. The term lacks a specific date of introduction or a single named progenitor in the source record.

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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.