hitting (upon)

verb

present participle of hit (upon)
as in finding
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance the popular belief that Sir Isaac Newton hit upon his understanding of gravity at the sight of an apple falling from a tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hitting (upon)
  1. finding
  2. encountering
Verb
  • More than a week after the disaster, search-and-rescue operations remain active, though hopes of finding additional survivors are rapidly fading.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • The family pursued legal action after finding that their pool was not built according to code, and put the settlement money toward founding a water safety nonprofit, The Zac Foundation.
    — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of finding
Verb
  • Here, Amer plays a fictional version of himself, a Palestinian refugee who is trying to get legal status while encountering personal and professional roadblocks at every turn.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Conditions can shift rapidly, even in summer, with climbers encountering ice, rockfall and limited visibility within hours.
    — James Ward, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of encountering
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

hitting (up)
hitting (upon)
hit (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hitting (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hitting%20%28upon%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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