hit the gas

English

Etymology

Suggesting the use of a gas pedal, or accelerator.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

hit the gas (third-person singular simple present hits the gas, present participle hitting the gas, simple past and past participle hit the gas)

1. (US, idiomatic) To go; go faster.

   Synonyms: gas, hit the accelerator, lay tracks, put the pedal to the metal, step on the gas

   They're gaining on you; you'd better hit the gas, now!

2. (idiomatic, informal) To advance or do something more quickly or with more energy.

   Synonyms: hit the accelerator, step on the gas

Antonyms

• put the brakes on

Translations

to go faster

• French: mettre les gaz (fr)
• German: Gas geben (de)
• Russian: жать на газ (žatʹ na gaz)
• Spanish: acelerar a fondo, acelerar (es)
• Swedish: trampa på gasen