a loud, sudden, explosive noise, as the discharge of a gun.
a resounding stroke or blow: a nasty bang on the head.
Informal. a sudden movement or show of energy: He started with a bang.
energy; vitality; spirit: The bang has gone out of my work.
Informal. sudden or intense pleasure; thrill; excitement: a big bang out of seeing movies.
Slang: Vulgar. sexual intercourse.
Printingand ComputerSlang. an exclamation point.
verb (used with object)
to strike or beat resoundingly; pound: to bang a door.
to hit or bump painfully: to bang one's ankle on a chair leg.
to throw or set down roughly; slam: He banged the plates on the table.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.
verb (used without object)
to strike violently or noisily: to bang on the door.
to make a loud, sudden, explosive noise like that of a violent blow: The guns banged all night.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
adverb
suddenly and loudly; abruptly or violently: She fell bang against the wall.
directly; precisely; right: He stood bang in the middle of the flower bed.
Verb Phrases
bang into,to collide with; bump into: The truck skidded on the ice and banged into a parked car.
bang up,to damage: A passing car banged up our fender.
Idioms for bang
bang off, Chiefly BritishSlang. immediately; right away.
bang on, Chiefly BritishSlang. terrific; marvelous; just right: That hat is absolutely bang on.
Origin of bang
1
1540–50; 1930–35 for def. 5; compare Old Norse banga to beat, hammer, Low German bangen to strike, beat, German dialect banken; perhaps originally imitative
SYNONYMS FOR bang
2 smack, clout, box, wallop, sock, bash, cuff.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bang ON THESAURUS.COM
Words nearby bang
baneful, Banerjea, Banff, Banff National Park, Banffshire, bang, bangalay, Bangalore, Bangalore torpedo, bangalow, Bangaluru
Definition for bang (2 of 3)
bang2
[ bang ]
/ bæŋ /
noun
Often bangs.a fringe of hair combed or brushed forward over the forehead.
verb (used with object)
to cut (the hair) so as to form a fringe over the forehead.
Without fans, referees could more clearly hear the contact they would otherwise miss on bang-bang plays, not to mention the complaints from players and coaches.
Why Have NBA Offenses Been So Good In The Bubble?|Mike Prada|August 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
E-commerce may have plunged into a coma of sorts when India’s coronavirus lockdown started at the end of March, but five months later it’s back with a bang.
Indians are now spending more on e-commerce than they did in 2019|Ananya Bhattacharya|August 19, 2020|Quartz
The collaboration has not worked out every detail of a cyclic cosmos with no bang and no crunch, much less shown that we live in one.
Big Bounce Simulations Challenge the Big Bang|Charlie Wood|August 4, 2020|Quanta Magazine
They, like other banged-up teams, also had the time they needed for injuries to heal.
Who’s Who In The NBA Bubble: The Teams Just Along For The Ride|Jared Dubin|July 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The hope was to lock in some of the deep carbon emission reductions brought on by the global slowdown—with the added benefit that green government spending can get more bang for the buck than traditional stimulus measures.
The world is blowing its chance for a green recovery from Covid-19|Tim McDonnell|July 9, 2020|Quartz
Did the French monarchy end not with a bang—or a whimper—but a smile?
The French Court’s Royal Ban on Smiles|William O’Connor|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The fourth season opens, quite predictably, with a bang—in the form of a drone strike.
‘Homeland’ Season 4: A Stripped-Down and Surprisingly Badass Return to Form|Marlow Stern|September 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sixth-season premiere of the rowdy, take-no-prisoners sitcom opens with a bang—literally.
The MVPs of Sleaze Are Back: FXX's 'The League' Ups the Degenerate Ante|Emily Shire|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Charm proceeded to bang and tell his way through Hollywood.
Adam Levine Is Off the Market… Thank God|Emily Shire|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What Russia chooses not to talk about with respect to Ukraine is almost as telling as what it chooses to bang on about.
Putin Is Just Getting Started in Ukraine|Michael Weiss|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I vote we drive bang through the thick of them, bang as the bullets went through Bull's hat.
The Man Who Was Thursday|G. K. Chesterton
With a whizz and a buzz the auto darted across the store, bringing up with a bang against the low part of the opposite counter.
Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue Keeping Store|Laura Lee Hope
Doa Maria's old servant closed the gate with a bang, but was careful to open it again noiselessly.
The Rebel Chief|Gustave Aimard
Fanny went into the sitting-room and shut the door with a bang.
The Portion of Labor|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I saw her last, seated on a knoll and calling out "Bang" at the pitch of her voice.
Red Cap Tales|Samuel Rutherford Crockett
British Dictionary definitions for bang (1 of 3)
bang1
/ (bæŋ) /
noun
a short loud explosive noise, as of the bursting of a balloon or the report of a gun
a hard blow or knock, esp a noisy one; thumphe gave the ball a bang
informala startling or sudden effecthe realized with a bang that he was late
slangan injection of heroin or other narcotic
taboo, slangan act of sexual intercourse
get a bang out ofUS and Canadianslangto experience a thrill or excitement from
with a bangsuccessfullythe party went with a bang
verb
to hit or knock, esp with a loud noise; bumpto bang one's head
to move noisily or clumsilyto bang about the house
to close (a door, window, etc) or (of a door, etc) be closed noisily; slam
(tr)to cause to move by hitting vigorouslyhe banged the ball over the fence
to make or cause to make a loud noise, as of an explosion
(tr)British
to cause (stock prices) to fall by rapid selling
to sell rapidly in (a stock market), thus causing prices to fall
taboo, slangto have sexual intercourse with
(intr)slangto inject heroin, etc
bang for one's buckinformalvalue for moneythis option offers more bang for your buck
bang goesinformalthat is the end ofbang goes my job in Wapping
bang one's head against a brick wallto try to achieve something impossible
adverb
with a sudden impact or effectbang went his hopes of winning; the car drove bang into a lamp-post
preciselybang in the middle of the road
bang to rightsslangcaught red-handed
go bangto burst, shut, etc, with a loud noiseSee also bang up
Word Origin for bang
C16: from Old Norse bang, banga hammer; related to Low German bangen to beat; all of imitative origin
British Dictionary definitions for bang (2 of 3)
bang2
/ (bæŋ) /
noun
a fringe or section of hair cut straight across the forehead