Phrasal verb
hit out at
Definition
phrasal verb. to strongly criticize someone or something in public.
phrasal verb. to deliver a sharp, often sudden verbal or written attack against a person, policy, or organization; frequently used in journalistic contexts to describe political or social rebuttals.
Examples
“The mayor hit out at the new tax plans today.”
“In a recent interview, the actress hit out at the tabloid press for invading her privacy.”
“The opposition leader hit out at the government's failure to address the housing crisis, calling the current strategy both short-sighted and economically reckless.”
Examples
simple
“The mayor hit out at the new tax plans today.”
contextual
“In a recent interview, the actress hit out at the tabloid press for invading her privacy.”
complex
“The opposition leader hit out at the government's failure to address the housing crisis, calling the current strategy both short-sighted and economically reckless.”
Usage
usually followed by a person, a group, or a specific policy as the object.
Teaching tip
this is a 'newspaper' verb; encourage students to look for it in headlines where space is limited and strong verbs are preferred over 'criticize'.
Pitfall
He hit out the manager.
He hit out at the manager.
the preposition 'at' is essential to direct the criticism toward the target.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out at
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
hit + out + at + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hit-out-at