Grammar fix
hit the headlines
suddenly become news
To suddenly become a prominent news story, especially in British English.
How oftenNow and then
LevelB2
Used inSpeech & writing
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
The small coastal town hit the headlines when a rare whale appeared in its harbour.
A café near my flat hit the headlines when a famous footballer turned up there for breakfast. Now there's a queue outside every weekend.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: The story hit on the headlines overnight.
Say: The story hit the headlines overnight.
The fixed phrase has no preposition between 'hit' and 'the headlines'.
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
A story gets big media attention
How widespreadProminentEverywhere
make headlinesAn event or person becomes a prominent news story.
hit the headlinesYou're here · Especially British: suddenly become a prominent news story.
it's all over the newsInformal: a story seems to be reported everywhere.