like gangbusters

Idioms  

1. Energetically, forcefully, loudly. For example, This is a soft passage—the horns shouldn't come in like gangbusters. This expression alludes to a popular radio series entitled Gangbusters, which featured explosive sound effects, such as gunfire and sirens, at the beginning of each episode. [Slang; late 1930s]

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Example Sentences

He wanted audiences to fall in love with the singular daffiness of his former girlfriend and it worked like gangbusters.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2025

At a shareholder meeting in 2021, Timian-Palmer told investors that Horton was "moving like gangbusters" in the north suburbs of Reno, planning multiple subdivisions that could purchase water from Vidler's long-dormant Fish Springs Ranch pipeline.

From Salon • May 7, 2023

This final-act martyrdom not only worked like gangbusters dramatically but also forced the Boomers in the audience to uncomfortably confront their own values and mortality.

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2022

Meanwhile, Exxon has spurned deals in other offshore zones in Brazil that are producing like gangbusters.

From Reuters • Feb. 14, 2022

So far, it’s worked like gangbusters, as Richard would say.

From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead