clang

American  

[klang] / klæŋ /

verb (used without object)

• clangs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clanged,
  past participle,  past
• clanging
  present participle

1. to give out a loud, resonant sound, as that produced by a large bell or two heavy pieces of metal striking together.

   The bells clanged from the steeples.

   Synonyms:

   jangle, clank, din, clash

2. to move with such sounds.

   The old truck clanged down the street.

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verb (used with object)

• clangs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clanged,
  past participle,  past
• clanging
  present participle

1. to cause to resound or ring loudly.

noun

• clangs
  plural

1. a clanging sound.

clang British  

/ klæŋ /

verb

1. to make or cause to make a loud resounding noise, as metal when struck

2. (intr) to move or operate making such a sound

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noun

1. a resounding metallic noise

2. the harsh cry of certain birds

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clangs
  plural

Participles

• clanging
  present
• clanged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• clang
  simple
• clangs
  simple
• have clanged
  perfect
• has clanged
  perfect
• am clanging
  progressive
• are clanging
  progressive
• is clanging
  progressive
• have been clanging
  perfect progressive
• has been clanging
  perfect progressive

Past

• clanged
  simple
• had clanged
  perfect
• was clanging
  progressive
• were clanging
  progressive
• had been clanging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will clang
  simple
• will have clanged
  perfect
• will be clanging
  progressive
• will have been clanging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of clang

First recorded in 1570–80, clang is from the Latin word clangere to resound, clang

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clang clangs clanged clanging

The pink, mouse-like creatures lived in craters covered by dustbin lids - the lids' noisy "clang" gave the show its name.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026

In a clip posted on Instagram, the German relay team are jumping up and down in celebration when suddenly Strelow's bronze medal comes loose and a metallic clang echoes through the room.

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

Bee Wilson’s own painful memories were triggered by the clang of a heart-shaped baking tin falling to the floor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

The first American pope has been a font of endless, odd connections to the New World that clang against the public perception of the ancient Catholic Church.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025

Strider had drawn the curtains and pushed back the shutters with a clang.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

She often prepares athletes to weather the gauntlet of “firsts” — the first shot that clangs, the first whistle, the first crowd cheer — without expecting much beyond survival.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2025

MPs may find the clangs irritating but they should be grateful they weren't working in the Canadian Parliament in the 1980s.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2024

Smith complements the suffocating visuals with an elaborate sound design involving an anxiety-inducing assortment of squeaks, gurgles, moans, whispers, whimpers and clangs that make “Tin Can” well worth watching with headphones.

From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2022

It’s a fun, loose record stuffed with twisting and vibrating electronics that shifts tonally from pop-heavy melodies to erratic heavy clangs, as Smith’s voice wriggles around from gargled snarl to smoothed-out croon.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 25, 2020

“Did you know, Dèja, stretching steel shrieks, clangs as joints shift? Something told me the tower was dying. “‘Come on, Mrs. Able. We’ve got to move faster. Come on.’

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Pots clanged and oil sizzled inside the London kitchen of Syrian chef Imad Alarnab, as the former refugee who fled his country's civil war recalled hosting King Charles III.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

When the ball clanged off the bright yellow pole, Judge raised his right hand toward the sky and tossed his bat to the ground, as bedlam erupted all around him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025

McManus’ first of two errant field goals was a 50-yarder that clanged off the right upright in the first quarter.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 17, 2023

The ball clanged off the heel of his mitt, then eluded a desperate lunge from his other hand, dropping for a double that set the calamitous inning in motion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2023

It clanged against the marble with a satisfying crack, carving a chunk out of the figure’s swirling robe.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

The rhythmic clanging of hammers on bronze echoes through the Istanbul workshop where three craftsmen are landing blows with astonishing precision to transform featureless metal discs into highly prized handcrafted cymbals.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Yet, Fire Island as a concept produces nothing more than a toy monkey clanging its cymbals in my brain.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

So I will not ring a bell every time the miniseries, which admittedly bills itself as “inspired by a true story,” diverts from the record, even though in my head it may be clanging.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

“My Soul / Half Pint,” which features Dry Cleaning fan Jeff Tweedy of Wilco on clanging guitar, is about a woman who meticulously arranges her house but finds cleaning “demeaning.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

The clown’s nose lights up with a clanging siren.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina