hit sb where it hurts
Definition
› to do or say something to someone that will upset them as much as possible: He's always worrying about his weight, so if you want to hit him where it hurts, tell him he's looking a bit fat.Treating people or animals badlyInsults and abuseUnkind, cruel and unfeelingViolent or aggressive
(Definition of hit sb where it hurts from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- a raw deal idiom
- at the hands of sb idiom
- batten on sb phrasal verb
- be heavy on sb idiom
- be put upon phrasal verb
- grind the faces of the poor idiom
- harassment noun
- have your knife into sb idiom
- hell noun
- ill-treat verb
- persecute verb
- persecution noun
- persecutor noun
- pick on sb phrasal verb
- prey on sb phrasal verb
- trample verb (TREAT WITHOUT RESPECT)
- treat sb like dirt idiom
- trespass on/upon sth phrasal verb
- tyrannical adjective
- tyrannize verb
Our dictionaries
Word of the Day
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
