bang

[ bang ]

/ bæŋ /

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See synonyms for: bang / banged / banging / bangs on Thesaurus.com

noun

a 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.

energy; vitality; spirit: The bang has gone out of my work.

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

adverb

suddenly and loudly; abruptly or violently: She fell bang against the wall.

precisely; directly; right: He stood bang in the middle of the flower bed.

Verb Phrases

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR bang

2 smack, clout, box, wallop, sock, bash, cuff.

See synonyms for bang on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about bang

bang off, Chiefly British Slang. immediately; right away.

bang on, Chiefly British Slang. terrific; marvelous; just right: That hat is absolutely bang on.

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

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

Other definitions for bang (2 of 3)

bang²

[ bang ]

/ bæŋ /

noun

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

verb (used with object)

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

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

Other definitions for bang (3 of 3)

bang³

[ bang ]

/ bæŋ /

noun

bhang.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bang in a sentence

“The higher the fraction of people in the population who already have antibodies, the more bang for your buck,” says Larremore, because you can prioritize giving vaccines to those who don’t have antibodies.
Who should get a covid-19 vaccine first?|Niall Firth|November 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The man, identified as 36-year-old Vusumuzi Kunene, had been “banging on the door” of a family member who lived on the block, the county’s interim police chief, Hector Velez, said at a news conference.
Man shoots at officers, runs over woman with stolen cruiser in Lanham, police say|Katie Mettler, Dana Hedgpeth|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
The guy’s got rhythm, banging in time to “Blackbird” by The Beatles.
People with Developmental Disabilities Were Promised Help. Instead, They Face Delays and Denials.|by Amy Silverman for Arizona Daily Star, with data analysis by Alex Devoid, Arizona Daily Star|November 5, 2020|ProPublica
They believe success stems from big-bang campaign launches, with a long planning period leading up to a major release.
Four ways to test your marketing ideas instead of trusting blogs|Sarah Fruy|November 4, 2020|Search Engine Watch

You don’t get the whiz-bang features from the flagship, but you’re still spending more cash than you would if you bought in at the entry level.
The new iPad Air is the best tablet for most people|Stan Horaczek|October 30, 2020|Popular-Science
Banging it down on Muriels lap, she sprawled helplessly between Muriel and Veronica.
Marjorie Dean College Freshman|Pauline Lester
Banging the desk angrily with his fist, he shouted: "I want something done!"
The Third Degree|Charles Klein and Arthur Hornblow
Banging the door in the lad's face, he dashed along the passage and opened the kitchen door.
Mrs. Bindle|Hebert Jenkins
Banging puffing, and grinding noises sounded all about the Stuffed Elephant.
The Story of a Stuffed Elephant|Laura Lee Hope
The clarionet nodded, and, turning to his comrades, winked gravely as he pronounced the magic word—“Banging-smash.”
Shifting Winds|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for bang (1 of 3)

bang¹

/ (bæŋ) /

noun

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; thumphe gave the ball a bang

informal a startling or sudden effecthe 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 successfullythe party went with a bang

verb

to hit or knock, esp with a loud noise; bumpto bang one's head

to move noisily or clumsilyto 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 vigorouslyhe 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 moneythis option offers more bang for your buck

bang goes informal that is the end ofbang goes my job in Wapping

bang one's head against a brick wall to try to achieve something impossible

adverb

with a sudden impact or effectbang went his hopes of winning; the car drove bang into a lamp-post

preciselybang in the middle of the road

bang to rights slang caught red-handed

go bang to burst, shut, etc, with a loud noiseSee also bang up

Word Origin for bang

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

British Dictionary definitions for bang (2 of 3)

bang²

/ (bæŋ) /

noun

a fringe or section of hair cut straight across the forehead

verb (tr)

to cut (the hair) in such a style

to dock (the tail of a horse, etc)

Word Origin for bang

C19: probably short for bangtail short tail

British Dictionary definitions for bang (3 of 3)

bang³

/ (bæŋ) /

noun

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

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

bang

OTHER WORDS FOR bang

Idioms about bang

Origin of bang

Other definitions for bang (2 of 3)

Origin of bang

Other definitions for bang (3 of 3)

Words related to bang

How to use bang in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bang (1 of 3)

Word Origin for bang

British Dictionary definitions for bang (2 of 3)

Word Origin for bang

British Dictionary definitions for bang (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with bang