shebang
Americannoun
-
Informal. the structure of something, as of an organization, contrivance, or affair.
The whole shebang fell apart when the chairman quit.
-
a primitive dwelling; shack; shanty.
noun
-
a situation, matter, or affair (esp in the phrase the whole shebang )
-
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.
After you take a few more paces down the hill, the whole shebang comes into view.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
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
Clarity tells us it’s simply not possible to help everyone, and trying to do so will topple the whole shebang.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
The cost for the whole shebang is only $56.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2025
And it didn’t count Much Ado About Nothing, which should have counted for the whole shebang, since it advertised itself as a comedy—but let me tell you, it wasn’t.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
