bang

¹

[bang]

noun

1. a loud, sudden, explosive noise, as the discharge of a gun.

2. a resounding stroke or blow.

   a nasty bang on the head.

   Synonyms: cuff, bash, sock, wallop, box, clout, smack

3. Informal.,  a sudden movement or show of energy.

   He started with a bang.

4. energy; vitality; spirit.

   The bang has gone out of my work.

5. Informal.,  sudden or intense pleasure; thrill; excitement.

   a big bang out of seeing movies.

6. Slang: Vulgar.,  an act or instance of sexual intercourse.

7. Printing and Computer Slang.,  an exclamation point.

verb (used with object)

1. to strike or beat resoundingly; pound.

   to bang a door.

2. to hit or bump painfully.

   to bang one's ankle on a chair leg.

3. to throw or set down roughly; slam.

   He banged the plates on the table.

4. Slang: Vulgar.,  to have sexual intercourse with.

verb (used without object)

1. to strike violently or noisily.

   to bang on the door.

2. to make a loud, sudden, explosive noise like that of a violent blow.

   The guns banged all night.

3. Slang: Vulgar.,  to have sexual intercourse.

adverb

1. suddenly and loudly; abruptly or violently.

   She fell bang against the wall.

2. precisely; directly; right.

   He stood bang in the middle of the flower bed.

verb phrase

1. bang up,  to damage.

   A passing car banged up our fender.

2. bang into,  to collide with; bump into.

   The truck skidded on the ice and banged into a parked car.

bang

²

[bang]

noun

1. Usually bangs. a fringe of hair combed or brushed forward over the forehead.

verb (used with object)

1. to cut (the hair) so as to form a fringe over the forehead.

2. to dock (the tail of a horse or dog).

bang

³

[bang]

noun

1. bhang.

bang

¹

/ bæŋ /

noun

1. a short loud explosive noise, as of the bursting of a balloon or the report of a gun

2. a hard blow or knock, esp a noisy one; thump

   he gave the ball a bang

3. informal,  a startling or sudden effect

   he realized with a bang that he was late

4. slang,  an injection of heroin or other narcotic

5. taboo,  an act of sexual intercourse

6. slang,  to experience a thrill or excitement from

7. successfully

   the party went with a bang

verb

1. to hit or knock, esp with a loud noise; bump

   to bang one's head

2. to move noisily or clumsily

   to bang about the house

3. to close (a door, window, etc) or (of a door, etc) be closed noisily; slam

4. (tr) to cause to move by hitting vigorously

   he banged the ball over the fence

5. to make or cause to make a loud noise, as of an explosion

6. (tr)

   1. to cause (stock prices) to fall by rapid selling

   2. to sell rapidly in (a stock market), thus causing prices to fall

7. taboo,  to have sexual intercourse with

8. slang,  (intr) to inject heroin, etc

9. informal,  value for money

   this option offers more bang for your buck

10. informal,  that is the end of

    bang goes my job in Wapping

11. to try to achieve something impossible

adverb

1. with a sudden impact or effect

   bang went his hopes of winning

   the car drove bang into a lamp-post

2. precisely

   bang in the middle of the road

3. slang,  caught red-handed

4. to burst, shut, etc, with a loud noise See also bang up

bang

²

/ bæŋ /

noun

1. a fringe or section of hair cut straight across the forehead

verb

1. to cut (the hair) in such a style

2. to dock (the tail of a horse, etc)

bang

³

/ bæŋ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of bhang

Word History and Origins

Origin of bang¹

First recorded in 1540–50; 1930–35 bang ¹ for def. 5; compare Old Norse banga ”to beat, hammer,” Low German bangen “to strike, beat,” German dialect banken; perhaps originally imitative

Origin of bang²

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; short for bangtail

Word History and Origins

Origin of bang¹

C16: from Old Norse bang , banga hammer; related to Low German bangen to beat; all of imitative origin

Origin of bang²

C19: probably short for bangtail short tail

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bang to rights, dead to rights.

   They caught us bang to rights, so there was no point pretending we were innocent.

2. bang off, immediately; right away.

3. bang on, terrific; marvelous; just right.

   That hat is absolutely bang on.

More idioms and phrases containing bang

• beat (bang) one's head against the wall
• get a bang out of
• go over big (with a bang)
• more bang for the buck

Example Sentences

He said the bus picked up speed, turned a corner, and then he heard "a massive bang".

From BBC

At the time, I didn't know any of that - I just remember a huge bang and then everything felt like a blur.

From BBC

A great, giddy blast of air from the 750-horsepower fans blew my bangs straight off my forehead.

From Los Angeles Times

They bang on the glass, yell out their identification numbers and plead for help, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Men bang women, and other men; women do the same.

From Salon

Related Words

• bash 
• bump 
• collide 
• knock 
• rap 
• slam 
• smash 
• thump 
• whack