'Hit the Hay': Definition, Meaning, Examples

Have you ever heard the phrase 'hit the hay?' Do you know what it means? In this article, you'll learn all about this popular idiom's meaning, where it comes from, and how to use it.

The short version of this:

Table of Contents
What Does 'Hit the Hay' Mean?
Where Does 'Hit the Hay' Come From?
Examples in Sentences
Other Ways to Say 'Hit the Hay'
Concluding Thoughts

What Does 'Hit the Hay' Mean?

'Hit the hay' is an idiom, which means it isn't to be interpreted literally (although its literal sense can help us understand the phrase's origins, as we'll learn later). We aren't alluding to doing violence to piles of straw, no; to hit the hay means to go to bed.

Imagine, for instance, that you're having dinner with your parents, but it's getting late and you're tired.

You might say:

Mom, dad, I have to get up early tomorrow so I'm going to hit the hay.

Another common variant of this expression is 'hit the sack.' Both these phrases are colloquialisms, so they shouldn't be used in formal contexts.

Where Does 'Hit the Hay' Come From?

While we haven't yet pinpointed the exact origins of the phrase, we do know that it refers to the fact that hay used to be a common mattress filler, so many working-class people would literally be sleeping on a bed of hay.

The verb 'hit' might have been meant in the sense of 'go to,' or it might have referred to the practice of plumping up a bed by hitting it with a wooden stick.

Either way, by the mid-1910s, it was in common use across the country. Its earliest apparitions are as follows:

In The Oakland Tribune (1903):

Sam Berger, the Olympic heavyweight…was sleepy and he announced that ‘he was going to hit the hay.

George Ade's People You Know (1903):

After Dinner he smoked one Perfecto and then, when he had put in a frolicsome Hour or so with the North American Review, he crawled into the Hay at 9.30 P.M.

Examples in Sentences

Now that we've covered this idiom's meaning and possible origins, let's look at some example sentences.

Sometimes we don't hit the hay until late at night.

She decided to turn in early because she had an important meeting at the office in the morning.

I'm more exhausted than I've felt in days;  time to hit the hay.

Oh look: sunset. It's time to hit the hay!

I haven't slept in days, so I'm going to call it a night and hit the hay.

The kids are finally hitting the hay after a fun day at the amusement park.

Every day I hit the hay at the same time.

After reading a few chapters of her book, she decided it was time to hit the hay.

Let's hit the hay for some much needed snuggles.

After the late-night party, we all hit the hay for some much-needed sleep.

Other Ways to Say 'Hit the Hay'

There are many other ways of telling someone you're going to bed.

Here are some of them:

Concluding Thoughts

That pretty much concludes this article on the famous saying, 'Hit the hay.' In short, it just means to go to bed. You can use it interchangeably with 'hit the sack.'

Are you ready to learn more English phrases and expand your vocabulary? Check out our idioms blog for idioms, expressions, sayings, and more!

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7 responses to “'Hit the Hay': Definition, Meaning, Examples”

  1. Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed! Very useful information specially the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot. I was looking for this certain info for a long time. Thank you and good luck.

  2. There was this show in the 80’s called The Fall Guy during the intro as the plane runs across the screen just before crashin it into the go the stuntman singing proceeds to sing “But when I wind up hittin’ the hay, it’s only hay.” The following scene finishes the stunt with him thrown onto the hay (either immediately as his body hits the hay or as he repositions his body completely face down) he says “Hey Hey”.
    So going by this, ‘hit the hay’ could also mean [A STUNT involoving a person to fall or be thrown into the hay for a scene in movie or tv.]

  3. In the 80’s there was a tv show called THE FALL GUY, the intro has various stunt scenes from other movies and from the show itself. One of which depicts a barnstorming stunt gone wrong as a biplane runs across the screen before crashing into a barn. The stuntman in the show sings “But when I wind up hittin’ the hay, it’s only” the following scene shows inside the barn a hug mow of hay up against a wall of baled hay. As the stuntman is thrown upon the hay he continues say “hay” followed by his body hitting the hay and repositioning himself completely face down saying “Hey Hey”.
    There is also an episode from Se.2-Ep.18 titled ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Town’. The begining of this episode has Colt (the main character) performing yet another stunt grabbing ahold to a rope ladder hanging below a (yet another) biplane flown my his cousin Howie and the person driving the car is none other than Jody. So it’s a race against time as they are all heading straight for (yet another) barn. Colt finally get ahold of the rope ladder, Howie raises up on the plane enough to avoid crashing into it himself but not enough for Colt. Colt hoes crashing through the roof and falls into this nice thick mow of hay. After briefly settling he raises his head up and angrily yells out “KID!” The following scene shows Howie realizes his mistake and tells himself “Oh, He’s going’a kill me”.
    So based on these two examples ‘hit the hay’ should include- ‘A stunt involving a person to fall or be thrown into the hay for a scene in movies or tv’.

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