idiom · informal
hit a wall
/hɪt ə wɔːl/HIT a WALL
speakingtask2
to suddenly be unable to continue or make progress
Examples
“Halfway through the experiment we hit a wall and had to rethink the method.”
“I hit a wall while writing my essay and couldn't add anything new.”
“The negotiations hit a wall when both sides refused to compromise.”
Band 8 sentence
“Midway through the thesis I hit a wall and had to consult my supervisor to move forward.”
Collocations
- hit a creative wall
- hit a wall in negotiations
Word family
hit a wall verb phrasehitting a wall gerund/participle
Common mistakes
hitted a wall→hit a wall
I was hit a wall→I hit a wall
Say it for a higher band
5be stuck→6run into a problem→7+hit a wall
Synonyms
reach a dead end
Easily confused
reach a dead end
“After weeks of research, the project seemed to have reached a dead end.”
be stuck
“I'm stuck on this question and can't find the answer.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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