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hit the ceiling

 - 6 dictionary results
Acoustic Ceiling Removal
Custom Textured Ceilings Applied Painting and Drywall service
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ceil⋅ing

  [see-ling]
Use hit the ceiling in a Sentence
–noun
1. the overhead interior surface of a room.
2. the top limit imposed by law on the amount of money that can be charged or spent or the quantity of goods that can be produced or sold.
3. Aeronautics.
a. the maximum altitude from which the earth can be seen on a particular day, usually equal to the distance between the earth and the base of the lowest cloud bank.
b. Also called absolute ceiling. the maximum altitude at which a particular aircraft can operate under specified conditions.
4. Meteorology. the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky.
5. a lining applied for structural reasons to a framework, esp. in the interior surfaces of a ship or boat.
6. Also called ceiling piece. Theater. the ceiling or top of an interior set, made of cloth, a flat, or two or more flats hinged together.
7. the act or work of a person who makes or finishes a ceiling.
8. vaulting, as in a medieval church.
—Idiom
9. hit the ceiling, Informal. to become enraged: When he saw the amount of the bill, he hit the ceiling.
Origin:
1350–1400, for def. 7; ME; see ceil, -ing 1

Related forms:
ceilinged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hit the ceiling
Acoustic Ceiling Removal
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hit   (hĭt)   
v.   hit, hit·ting, hits

v.   tr.

    1. To come into contact with forcefully; strike: The car hit the guardrail.

    2. To reach with or as if with a blow: The bullet hit the police officer in the shoulder.

    3. To cause to come into contact: She hit her hand against the wall.

    4. To deal a blow to.

    5. To strike with a missile: fired and hit the target.

    6. To reach with a propelled ball or puck: hit the running back with a pass.

    7. To score in this way: She hit the winning basket.

    8. To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully: couldn't hit the jump shot.

    9. To propel with a stroke or blow: hit the ball onto the green.

    10. To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.

    11. To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.

    12. To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.

    13. To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.

    14. To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.

    15. To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.

    16. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.

    17. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.

    18. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.

    1. To cause to come into contact: She hit her hand against the wall.

    2. To deal a blow to.

    3. To strike with a missile: fired and hit the target.

    4. To reach with a propelled ball or puck: hit the running back with a pass.

    5. To score in this way: She hit the winning basket.

    6. To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully: couldn't hit the jump shot.

    7. To propel with a stroke or blow: hit the ball onto the green.

    8. To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.

    9. To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.

    10. To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.

    11. To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.

    12. To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.

    13. To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.

    14. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.

    15. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.

    16. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.

  3. To press or push (a key or button, for example): hit the return key by mistake.

  4. Sports

    1. To reach with a propelled ball or puck: hit the running back with a pass.

    2. To score in this way: She hit the winning basket.

    3. To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully: couldn't hit the jump shot.

    4. To propel with a stroke or blow: hit the ball onto the green.

    5. To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.

    6. To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.

    7. To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.

    8. To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.

    9. To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.

    10. To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.

    11. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.

    12. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.

    13. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.

  5. Baseball

    1. To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.

    2. To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.

    3. To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.

    4. To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.

    5. To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.

    6. To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.

    7. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.

    8. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.

    9. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.

    1. To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.

    2. To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.

    3. To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.

    4. To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.

    5. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.

    6. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.

    7. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.

  7. Informal

    1. To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.

    2. To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.

    3. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.

    4. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.

    5. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.

    1. Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.

    2. Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.

    3. To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.

  9. Games To deal cards to.

  10. Sports To bite on or take (bait or a lure). Used of a fish.

v.   intr.

  1. To strike or deal a blow.

    1. To come into contact with something; collide.

    2. To attack: The raiders hit at dawn.

    3. To happen or occur: The storm hit without warning.

  3. To achieve or find something desired or sought: finally hit on the answer; hit upon a solution to the problem.

  4. Baseball To bat or bat well: Their slugger hasn't been hitting lately.

  5. Sports To score by shooting, especially in basketball: hit on 7 of 8 shots.

  6. To ignite a mixture of air and fuel in the cylinders. Used of an internal-combustion engine.

n.  

    1. A collision or impact.

    2. A successfully executed shot, blow, thrust, or throw.

    3. Sports A deliberate collision with an opponent, such as a body check in ice hockey.

    4. A match of data in a search string against data that one is searching.

    5. A connection made to a website over the Internet or another network: Our company's website gets about 2,000 hits daily.

    6. A dose of a narcotic drug.

    7. A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.

  2. A successful or popular venture: a Broadway hit.

  3. Computer Science

    1. A match of data in a search string against data that one is searching.

    2. A connection made to a website over the Internet or another network: Our company's website gets about 2,000 hits daily.

    3. A dose of a narcotic drug.

    4. A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.

  4. An apt or effective remark.

  5. Abbr. H Baseball A base hit.

  6. Slang

    1. A dose of a narcotic drug.

    2. A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.

  7. Slang A murder planned and carried out usually by a member of an underworld syndicate.

Phrasal Verb(s):
hit on Slang To pay unsolicited and usually unwanted sexual attention to: can't go into a bar lately without being hit on.
hit up Slang To approach and ask (someone) for something, especially for money: tried to hit me up for a loan.

Idiom(s):
hit it big Slang To be successful: investors who hit it big on the stock market.

Idiom(s):
hit it off Informal To get along well together.

Idiom(s):
hit the books Informal To study, especially with concentrated effort.

Idiom(s):
hit the bottle/booze/sauce Slang To engage in drinking alcoholic beverages.

Idiom(s):
hit the bricks Slang To go on strike.

Idiom(s):
hit the fan Slang To have serious, usually adverse consequences.

Idiom(s):
hit the ground running Informal To begin a venture with great energy, involvement, and competence.

Idiom(s):
hit the hay/sack Slang To go to bed: hit the hay well before midnight.

Idiom(s):
hit the high points/spotsTo direct attention to the most important points or places.

Idiom(s):
hit the jackpotTo become highly and unexpectedly successful, especially to win a great deal of money.

Idiom(s):
hit the nail on the headTo be absolutely right.

Idiom(s):
hit the road Slang To set out, as on a trip; leave.

Idiom(s):
hit the roof/ceiling Slang To express anger, especially vehemently.

Idiom(s):
hit the spotTo give total or desired satisfaction, as food or drink.

[Middle English hitten, from Old English hyttan, from Old Norse hitta.]
hit'less adj., hit'ta·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

hit the ceiling

To become extremely angry: “When Corey found out someone had stolen his CD player, he really hit the ceiling.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
hit the ceiling

and hit the roof
  1. tv.
    to get very angry. : She really hit the ceiling when she found out what happened.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

ceiling 
c.1348, celynge, "paneling, any interior surface of a building," from M.Fr. celer "to conceal, cover with paneling" from L. celare (see cell), probably influenced by L. cælum "heaven, sky." Colloquial phrase hit the ceiling "lose one's temper" is 1914.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

hit the ceiling

Also, hit the roof. Explode in anger, as in Jane hit the ceiling when she saw her grades, or Dad hit the roof when he didn't get his usual bonus. The first expression dates from the early 1900s; the second is a version of a 16th-century locution, up in the house roof or house-top, meaning "enraged."

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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