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

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Etymology

Origin of clang

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clang clangs clanged clanging

The only noise is the gentle clang of the bells around the animals' necks.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 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

The young trio’s minimalist arrangements evoke the clang of downtown post-punk New York, while the new collection’s sly humor and deep well of hooks helped the dissonant turns go down easily.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 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

Then, as the gates closed with a clang, all sight of the outside world disappeared.

From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl

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

The unlocked doors swung back and forth with loud clangs.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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

Then came a month of more misses than makes, with a botched extra-point attempt against the Buffalo Bills and a 26-yarder that clanged off the right goalpost in New England.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024

Loyd’s chance with 2 seconds left clanged wide and the teams regrouped before overtime.

From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024

High above, the Elderclock’s alarm bells still clanged like a drawer full of angry pots and pans.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

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

The ship lacks the usual clanging metal rigging of a modern sailboat, so the two-hour, $80 journey was nearly silent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 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

But classic feels too fusty and self-conscious, even though “Hokum” has all the tropes: looming figures, clanging bells, ominous dumbwaiters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

He pulled out the bike chain he’d inherited from Javier, and his heart leapt at the sound of the thick metal links clanging together.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

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