hit-and-run

1 of 3

adjective

ˌhit-ᵊn-ˈrən 

1

: being or relating to a hit-and-run in baseball

2

: being or involving a motor-vehicle driver who does not stop after being involved in an accident

3

: involving or intended for quick specific action or results

a hit-and-run raid

hit-and-run

2 of 3

noun

: a baseball play calling for a runner on first to begin running as a pitch is delivered and for the batter to attempt to hit the pitch

hit-and-run

3 of 3

verb

hit-and-ran; hitting-and-running; hit-and-runs

intransitive verb

: to execute a hit-and-run play in baseball

Examples of hit-and-run in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Two days earlier, a predawn hit-and-run killed a pedestrian in his hometown of Oceanside. —City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

Violet Harris, 15, died in a hit-and-run crash while riding a scooter in the South Shore neighborhood on March 21. —Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

Noun

Investigators previously believed Davis had been struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026

The vehicle allegedly involved in a hit-and-run crash that left a women with injuries in the Westlake District in March 2026. —Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026

Verb

Maryland State Police are investigating a hit-and-run that left a 30-year-old man dead early Sunday morning in Baltimore County. —Cbs Baltimore Staff, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026

Police have arrested a 31-year-old Baltimore man in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in the 2200 block of McCulloh Street, authorities said. —Luke Parker, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1904, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1966, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hit-and-run

• anyone
• everyone
• megaton
• overdone
• overrun
• povidone
• trazodone
• begun
• grandson
• gudrun
• handgun
• homespun

Kids Definition

hit-and-run

adjective

-ˈrən

1

: being or involving a motor-vehicle driver who does not stop after having an accident

2

: involving or intended for quick action or results

Legal Definition

hit-and-run

adjective

1

: having left the scene of a motor vehicle accident without stopping to fulfill the duties imposed by law (as rendering aid or giving identification)

a hit-and-run driver

2

: involving or concerning a hit-and-run driver

a hit-and-run accident

hit-and-run statutes