"hit like a ton of bricks" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hits like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hitting like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hit like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hit like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "hit<,,hit> like a ton of bricks"
      },
      "expansion": "hit like a ton of bricks (third-person singular simple present hits like a ton of bricks, present participle hitting like a ton of bricks, simple past and past participle hit like a ton of bricks)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "His depression hit him like a ton of bricks.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:",
          "text": "“For any decent, law-abiding citizen, there is no honour in this. None at all. You are a bad man, Mr Goodie. And, worst of all, a bad dad. A very bad dad.” That hit Gilbert like a ton of bricks. He looked over to his son with tears in his eyes, as the judge announced the sentence. “Gilbert Goodie, I sentence you to ten years in prison!”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To have a sudden and significant emotional impact."
      ],
      "id": "en-hit_like_a_ton_of_bricks-en-verb-KQYezp93",
      "links": [
        [
          "sudden",
          "sudden"
        ],
        [
          "significant",
          "significant"
        ],
        [
          "emotional",
          "emotional"
        ],
        [
          "impact",
          "impact"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, idiomatic) To have a sudden and significant emotional impact."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "hit like a ton of bricks"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hits like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hitting like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hit like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hit like a ton of bricks",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "hit<,,hit> like a ton of bricks"
      },
      "expansion": "hit like a ton of bricks (third-person singular simple present hits like a ton of bricks, present participle hitting like a ton of bricks, simple past and past participle hit like a ton of bricks)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English transitive verbs",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "His depression hit him like a ton of bricks.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:",
          "text": "“For any decent, law-abiding citizen, there is no honour in this. None at all. You are a bad man, Mr Goodie. And, worst of all, a bad dad. A very bad dad.” That hit Gilbert like a ton of bricks. He looked over to his son with tears in his eyes, as the judge announced the sentence. “Gilbert Goodie, I sentence you to ten years in prison!”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To have a sudden and significant emotional impact."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sudden",
          "sudden"
        ],
        [
          "significant",
          "significant"
        ],
        [
          "emotional",
          "emotional"
        ],
        [
          "impact",
          "impact"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, idiomatic) To have a sudden and significant emotional impact."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "hit like a ton of bricks"
}