bang
1a loud, sudden, explosive noise, as the discharge of a gun.
a resounding stroke or blow: a nasty bang on the head.
Informal. a sudden movement or show of energy: He started with a bang.
Informal. sudden or intense pleasure; thrill; excitement: a big bang out of seeing movies.
Slang: Vulgar. an act or instance of sexual intercourse.
Printing and Computer Slang. an exclamation point.
to strike or beat resoundingly; pound: to bang a door.
to hit or bump painfully: to bang one's ankle on a chair leg.
to throw or set down roughly; slam: He banged the plates on the table.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.
to strike violently or noisily: to bang on the door.
to make a loud, sudden, explosive noise like that of a violent blow: The guns banged all night.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
bang into, to collide with; bump into: The truck skidded on the ice and banged into a parked car.
bang up, to damage: A passing car banged up our fender.
Idioms about bang
bang off, Chiefly British Slang. immediately; right away.
bang to rights, Chiefly British. dead to rights: They caught us bang to rights, so there was no point pretending we were innocent.
Origin of bang
1Other words for bang
Words Nearby bang
Other definitions for bang (2 of 3)
Usually bangs. a fringe of hair combed or brushed forward over the forehead.
to cut (the hair) so as to form a fringe over the forehead.
to dock (the tail of a horse or dog).
Origin of bang
2Other definitions for bang (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bang in a sentence
Without fans, referees could more clearly hear the contact they would otherwise miss on bang-bang plays, not to mention the complaints from players and coaches.
E-commerce may have plunged into a coma of sorts when India’s coronavirus lockdown started at the end of March, but five months later it’s back with a bang.
Indians are now spending more on e-commerce than they did in 2019 | Ananya Bhattacharya | August 19, 2020 | QuartzThe collaboration has not worked out every detail of a cyclic cosmos with no bang and no crunch, much less shown that we live in one.
They, like other banged-up teams, also had the time they needed for injuries to heal.
Who’s Who In The NBA Bubble: The Teams Just Along For The Ride | Jared Dubin | July 20, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThe hope was to lock in some of the deep carbon emission reductions brought on by the global slowdown—with the added benefit that green government spending can get more bang for the buck than traditional stimulus measures.
The world is blowing its chance for a green recovery from Covid-19 | Tim McDonnell | July 9, 2020 | Quartz
Did the French monarchy end not with a bang—or a whimper—but a smile?
More clumsily, fireworks stand in for the Big bang and a potato and peas are invoked to explain relativity.
This professional seducer, of sorts, has been pictured holding a T-shirt reading “Diss Fatties, bang Hotties.”
As ends of eras go, he recalls, it was mostly whimper and not much bang.
How The Cold War Endgame Played Out In The Rubble Of The Berlin Wall | William O’Connor | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 1996, John Paul II called the Big bang theory “more than a hypothesis.”
Even the Pope Isn’t a Hard-Core Creationist | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTbang went the fragile bulb, as it splintered into a thousand atoms, and the mercury shot in sparkling globules over the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsGarnache closed the door upon him with a bang, and smiled quietly as he turned to Valerie.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniMiss Boutts replied that they were too busy in the daytime, but were asked once a week to a "bang-up" affair.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonImmediately the door was opened just enough to let the two men glide in; then it was shut with a bang and bolted.
The Garret and the Garden | R.M. BallantyneShe closed the stove door with a bang, and approaching, assisted in removing Edna's dripping mackintosh.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
British Dictionary definitions for bang (1 of 3)
/ (bæŋ) /
a short loud explosive noise, as of the bursting of a balloon or the report of a gun
a hard blow or knock, esp a noisy one; thump: he gave the ball a bang
informal a startling or sudden effect: he realized with a bang that he was late
slang an injection of heroin or other narcotic
taboo, slang an act of sexual intercourse
get a bang out of US and Canadian slang to experience a thrill or excitement from
with a bang successfully: the party went with a bang
to hit or knock, esp with a loud noise; bump: to bang one's head
to move noisily or clumsily: to bang about the house
to close (a door, window, etc) or (of a door, etc) be closed noisily; slam
(tr) to cause to move by hitting vigorously: he banged the ball over the fence
to make or cause to make a loud noise, as of an explosion
(tr) British
to cause (stock prices) to fall by rapid selling
to sell rapidly in (a stock market), thus causing prices to fall
taboo, slang to have sexual intercourse with
(intr) slang to inject heroin, etc
bang for one's buck informal value for money: this option offers more bang for your buck
bang goes informal that is the end of: bang goes my job in Wapping
bang one's head against a brick wall to try to achieve something impossible
with a sudden impact or effect: bang went his hopes of winning; the car drove bang into a lamp-post
precisely: bang in the middle of the road
bang to rights slang caught red-handed
go bang to burst, shut, etc, with a loud noise: See also bang up
Origin of bang
1British Dictionary definitions for bang (2 of 3)
/ (bæŋ) /
a fringe or section of hair cut straight across the forehead
to cut (the hair) in such a style
to dock (the tail of a horse, etc)
Origin of bang
2British Dictionary definitions for bang (3 of 3)
/ (bæŋ) /
a variant spelling of bhang
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with bang
In addition to the idioms beginning with bang
- bang away
- bang for the buck
- bang into
- bang one's head against
- bang out
- bang up
also see:
- beat (bang) one's head against the wall
- get a bang out of
- go over big (with a bang)
- more bang for the buck
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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