hit like a ton of bricks

verb

To have a sudden and significant emotional impact.

“His depression hit him like a ton of bricks.”

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Meanings

verbhit like a ton of bricks (third-person singular simple present hits like a ton of bricks, present participle hitting like a ton of bricks, simple past and past participle hit like a ton of bricks)

present singular third person hits like a ton of bricks · participle present hitting like a ton of bricks

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo have a sudden and significant emotional impact.

    His depression hit him like a ton of bricks.

    1 more example

    “For any decent, law-abiding citizen, there is no honour in this. None at all. You are a bad man, Mr Goodie. And, worst of all, a bad dad. A very bad dad.” That hit Gilbert like a ton of bricks. He looked over to his son with tears in his eyes, as the judge announced the sentence. “Gilbert Goodie, I sentence you to ten years in prison!”

    2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN
Cite this entry
APA

hit like a ton of bricks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20like%20a%20ton%20of%20bricks

MLA

“hit like a ton of bricks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20like%20a%20ton%20of%20bricks. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hit like a ton of bricks,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20like%20a%20ton%20of%20bricks.

Source: hit like a ton of bricks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.