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bang1

[bang]
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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.
  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. sexual intercourse.
  7. Printing and Computer Slang. an exclamation point.
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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.
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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.
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adverb
  1. suddenly and loudly; abruptly or violently: She fell bang against the wall.
  2. directly; precisely; right: He stood bang in the middle of the flower bed.
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Verb Phrases
  1. bang into, to collide with; bump into: The truck skidded on the ice and banged into a parked car.
  2. bang up, to damage: A passing car banged up our fender.
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Idioms
  1. bang off, Chiefly British Slang. immediately; right away.
  2. bang on, Chiefly British Slang. terrific; marvelous; just right: That hat is absolutely bang on.
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Origin of bang1

1540–50; 1930–35 for def 5; compare Old Norse banga to beat, hammer, Low German bangen to strike, beat, German dialect banken; perhaps orig. imitative

Synonyms

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

bang2

[bang]
noun
  1. Often bangs. a fringe of hair combed or brushed forward over the forehead.
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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).
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Origin of bang2

1860–65, Americanism; short for bangtail
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

rattleclangthumpknocksmashbumpcollideslamrapwhackbashsounddetonatecrashburstthunderechoexplodepealboom

Examples from the Web for banging

Historical Examples

  • Banging and ripping and tearing, the outer door was slowly forced.

    The Silent Bullet

    Arthur B. Reeve

  • Banging it down on Muriels lap, she sprawled helplessly between Muriel and Veronica.

  • Banging puffing, and grinding noises sounded all about the Stuffed Elephant.

  • 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

British Dictionary definitions for banging

bang1

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; thumphe gave the ball a bang
  3. informal a startling or sudden effecthe realized with a bang that he was late
  4. slang an injection of heroin or other narcotic
  5. taboo, slang an act of sexual intercourse
  6. get a bang out of US and Canadian slang to experience a thrill or excitement from
  7. with a bang successfullythe party went with a bang
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verb
  1. to hit or knock, esp with a loud noise; bumpto bang one's head
  2. to move noisily or clumsilyto 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 vigorouslyhe banged the ball over the fence
  5. to make or cause to make a loud noise, as of an explosion
  6. (tr) British
    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, slang to have sexual intercourse with
  8. (intr) slang to inject heroin, etc
  9. bang for one's buck informal value for moneythis option offers more bang for your buck
  10. bang goes informal that is the end ofbang goes my job in Wapping
  11. bang one's head against a brick wall to try to achieve something impossible
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adverb
  1. with a sudden impact or effectbang went his hopes of winning; the car drove bang into a lamp-post
  2. preciselybang in the middle of the road
  3. bang to rights slang caught red-handed
  4. go bang to burst, shut, etc, with a loud noiseSee also bang up
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Word Origin

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

bang2

noun
  1. a fringe or section of hair cut straight across the forehead
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verb (tr)
  1. to cut (the hair) in such a style
  2. to dock (the tail of a horse, etc)
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Word Origin

C19: probably short for bangtail short tail

bang3

noun
  1. a variant spelling of bhang
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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

Word Origin and History for banging

bang

v.

1540s, "to strike hard with a loud blow," from a Scandinavian sourse akin to Old Norse banga "to pound, hammer" of echoic origin. Slang meaning "have sexual intercourse with" first recorded 1937. Bang-up "excellent, first-rate," 1820, probably shortened from phrase bang up to the mark. The noun is recorded from late 16c.

This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper

[T.S. Eliot, "Hollow Men," 1925]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
banging in Medicine

Bang

(băng, bäng)Bernhard Lauritz Frederik 1848-1932
  1. Danish veterinarian who discovered Brucella abortus, the agent of brucellosis in cattle and of undulant fever in humans.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with banging

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
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.