shebang
Americannoun
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Informal. the structure of something, as of an organization, contrivance, or affair.
The whole shebang fell apart when the chairman quit.
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a primitive dwelling; shack; shanty.
noun
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a situation, matter, or affair (esp in the phrase the whole shebang )
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a hut or shack
Etymology
Origin of shebang
1860–65, origin uncertain (perhaps alteration of char-à-banc ( def. ), though sense shift unclear; shebeen, often cited as the source, is implausible both phonetically and semantically)
Explanation
A shebang is a thing or a group, used in the phrase "the whole shebang." When your teacher says the test will cover the whole shebang, she means everything you've studied is fair game. The informal phrase"the whole shebang" means "everything," which you could also call "the whole ball of wax" or "the whole enchilada." Shebang is an American word, first used by Civil War soldiers (and the poet Walt Whitman) to mean "rustic dwelling" or "hut." In 1872, Mark Twain used shebang to mean "vehicle," but that same year it appeared in a newspaper with its current meaning, in the first known use of "the whole shebang."
Vocabulary lists containing shebang
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Your future CFP, if you found one you could trust, could oversee the entire shebang with your adviser and your accountant.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
The cost for the whole shebang is only $56.
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2025
El Monte neo-Nazi Joseph Tommasi once ran the whole shebang, but he’d been given the boot by the national HQ, and went off to start his own outfit.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2024
Davies says: "I play Rob from the age of 15 right the way through to the end of the film... It's full body, voice, dancing - the whole shebang."
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2024
She held up a picture of Pandora opening up the box and a whole shebang of gremlins floating out.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
