bang1

 
Pronunciation: /baŋ/

noun

  • 1a sudden loud, sharp noise: the door slammed with a bang
  • a sharp blow causing a sudden, loud noise: I went to answer a bang on the front door
  • a sudden painful blow: a nasty bang on the head
  • 2 (bangs) North American a fringe of hair cut straight across the forehead: she brushed back her wispy bangs
    [from a use of the adverb bang to mean 'abruptly']
  • 3 vulgar slang an act of sexual intercourse.
  • 4 Computing, chiefly North American the character ‘!’.

verb

[with object]
  • 1strike or put down (something) forcefully and noisily: he began to bang the table with his fist Sarah banged the phone down [no object]: someone was banging on the door
  • [with object and adverbial] cause (something) to strike something else unexpectedly and sharply: I banged my head on the low beams [no object]: she banged into some shelves in the darkness
  • [with object and adverbial of direction] (of a sports player) hit (a ball or a shot) forcefully and successfully: he banged home four penalties in the opening twenty minutes
  • [no object] make a sudden loud noise, typically repeatedly: the shutter was banging in the wind
  • (with reference to something such as a door) open or close noisily: [with object and complement]: he banged the kitchen door shut behind him
  • [no object, with adverbial of direction] (of a person) move around or do something noisily: she was banging around the kitchen
  • 2North American cut (hair) in a fringe.
  • 3 vulgar slang (of a man) have sexual intercourse with (a woman).

adverb

informal, chiefly British
  • exactly: the train arrived bang on time
  • completely: bring your wardrobe bang up to date

exclamation

  • 1used to convey the sound of a sudden loud noise: party poppers went bang
  • 2used to convey the suddenness of an action: the minute something becomes obsolete, bang, it’s gone

Phrases

bang for one's (or the) buck

US informal value for money: classy sports cars with huge bang for your buck

bang goes ——

British used to express the sudden collapse of a plan or hope: my first thought when I heard the news was ‘Bang goes my knighthood!’

bang on

British informal exactly right: the programme is bang on about the fashion world

bang (or knock) people's heads together

see head

get a bang out of

North American informal derive excitement or pleasure from: some people get a bang out of reading that stuff

with a bang

  • 1abruptly: the remark brought me down to earth with a bang
  • 2successfully or impressively: the occasion went with a bang

Phrasal Verbs

bang away at

informal do something in a persistent or dogged way: he was banging away at his novel

bang on about

British informal talk at tedious length about (something): the government banged on about competition and the free market

bang something out

informal
  • 1play music noisily, enthusiastically, and unskilfully: Dad was annihilating a Beethoven sonata, banging out notes
  • 2produce something hurriedly or in great quantities: they weren’t banging out ads in my day the way they are now

bang someone/thing up

British informal imprison someone: they’ve been banged up for something they didn’t do
North American informal damage or injure someone or something: he banged up his knee

Origin:

mid 16th century: imitative, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare with Old Norse bang 'hammering'