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.

---

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

---

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

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

But what if those bells are right outside your bedroom window day and night, and rather than tinkle gently, clang loudly around the necks of 20 or 30 cows?

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2023

One day as they sat together on the veranda, the old man’s trembling voice rising over the gentle rush of the river, the clang of the gong-gong rang through the village.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Its closing track, a harmonically suspended instrumental titled “The Brazilian,” flirted with the avant-garde by repeating the same anti-melody, anchored on a jungle of percussive clangs and hyperkinetic Simmons drum rolls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

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

She sings about irreversible events, like shipwrecks and spilled milk, amid plinks, clangs, crashes, swooping strings and sampled screams, nonchalant amid the non sequiturs.

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2023

The clangs of the passing trolleys and beeps of the pedestrian walk signals echoed in the downtown area’s near-empty streets.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 20, 2020

Once it had sunk all the way down, there were more clangs and squeals and the ship started moving on tracks into the chamber to the right.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

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

USC clung to a one-point lead as freshman Alijah Arenas stepped back for a jumper that clanged away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 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

He clanged his bell a few more times.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

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

In a room filled with pounding noises and clanging cowbells, L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 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

I think of the clanging pots, our giant compost heap that turned back into fertile soil, the cozy nights knitting for the farmers market, the green trees and fresh air.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy