"hit a lick" comes from African-American Vernacular English or Multicultural London English and means to earn a large sum of money in a short amount of time, usually illegally. It has spread well beyond its origin through hip-hop, drill, TikTok and gaming, so a teen of any background may use it. It is not in itself a sign of bad behaviour; it is a style of speech the way 'cool' or 'wicked' once was. The conversation worth having is about respecting where the language comes from, not about banning the word.
hit a lick
(AAVE, MLE, MTE, slang, idiomatic) To earn a large sum of money in a short amount of time, usually illegally.
ˈhɪt ə ˈlɪkDocumented since 2000s2000sGen Ztrending207 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~2000 · no dated citations yetLate-Millennial / Web 2.0 eraSee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
Firecrawl: Why Urban Dictionary Comes In Handy On The Witness Stand - NPR
That is when somebody is going to - maybe say they're driving down a road and they see somebody and they say, let's hit a lick, meaning they're going to go rob the person or maybe the store.
View source
Firecrawl: if i ever hit a lick... | Smash the Like | Know Your Meme
All Rights Reserved. [](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/022/834/711.jpg "if i ever hit a lick...") **+4** # if i ever hit a lick...
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Definitions
US
#1·Apr 27, 2026US
(AAVE, MLE, MTE, slang, idiomatic) To earn a large sum of money in a short amount of time, usually illegally.
I figure frauds never hit a lick before So they don't know the feeling when them things get across
Origin: In its basic meaning, a reference to a robbery of a liquor store. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"hit a lick" comes from African-American Vernacular English or Multicultural London English and means to earn a large sum of money in a short amount of time, usually illegally. It has spread well beyond its origin through hip-hop, drill, TikTok and gaming, so a teen of any background may use it. It is not in itself a sign of bad behaviour; it is a style of speech the way 'cool' or 'wicked' once was. The conversation worth having is about respecting where the language comes from, not about banning the word.
For ESL learners
"hit a lick" is informal, ethnically marked slang English meaning to earn a large sum of money in a short amount of time, usually illegally. It is mainly used in North American English. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "to earn a large sum of money in a short amount of time" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "hit a lick" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.
Heard in the wild
“That is when somebody is going to - maybe say they're driving down a road and they see somebody and they say, let's hit a lick, meaning they're going to go rob the person or maybe the store.”
“All Rights Reserved. [](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/022/834/711.jpg "if i ever hit a lick...") **+4** # if i ever hit a lick...”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🎤About Black culture & AAVE slang
Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
See all Black culture & AAVE slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "hit a lick" (H)
historic districthistory of the four kingshistory sheethistory-sheeterhit a cliphit a home runhit and gigglehit and runhit a stainhit backhitboxhitbox arc
Browse all slang words starting with H.
Related terms
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Semantically related
- hit it69%
(slang) To have sex.
- lick out69%
(slang, idiomatic) To perform cunnilingus on.
- hit a stain67%
(AAVE) To commit armed robbery.
- lick out67%
Slang term for cunnilingus — performed oral sex on a woman. The term is direct and informal, used in the same register as similar British and Caribbean English sexual vocabulary. It is common in British and Caribbean English and appears in music and casual conversation.
- hit me67%
Hit me is a versatile slang command meaning 'give me something' — most classically used at a bar to request a drink or a refill. It crosses from drinking culture into card games (blackjack players say 'hit me' to request another card), general conversation ('hit me with the details'), and even digital culture ('hit me up'). The phrase carries an easy, confident energy — casual but assertive, like someone who knows exactly what they want and just needs the transaction to happen.