hit the road
To begin traveling in an automobile or other road vehicle.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“We finished breakfast and hit the road.”
“I need to hit the road now to arrive at the wedding on time.”
“The family packed their bags early so they could hit the road before the traffic got bad.”
“After the band finished their final show in the city, they loaded their instruments into the van to hit the road for the next tour stop.”
“The delivery driver checked his map one last time before he hit the road to drop off the remaining packages.”
“With the sun barely above the horizon and the car loaded with supplies, the travelers hit the road, eager to leave the city behind and reach the coast by nightfall.”
The expression appears to be an internal English development with no specific date of origin or named inventor recorded. Linguists note a typological similarity to the Russian phrases уда́риться в бега́ (udáritʹsja v begá), уда́рить по та́пкам (udáritʹ po tápkam), and тро́нуться (trónutʹsja), all of which employ the imagery of striking or movement to denote departure.
- 01
all roads lead to Rome
Different paths can take one to the same goal.
- 02
bump in the road
A setback or obstacle, especially one which is relatively minor.
- 03
don't let the door hit you on the way out
Used as a command to leave in haste, or to indicate that one is glad, or at least unmoved, to see the addressed person leaving.
- 04
down the road, not across the street
Of the technique for committing suicide, along the radial artery rather than across the wrist from side to side.
- 05
fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch
To become extremely unattractive.
- 06
frog
[Cockney slang]road
- 07
get the show on the road
To begin or launch; to get going.
- 08
go down that road
To settle a way of doing something; do decide to do something in a particular way.
Last updated August 10, 2026