bang

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈbaŋ 

banged; banging; bangs

transitive verb

1

: to strike sharply : bump

banged his knee

2

: to knock, hit, or thrust vigorously often with a sharp noise

banged the door shut

3

vulgar slang : to have sexual intercourse with

intransitive verb

1

: to strike with a sharp noise or thump

2

: to produce a sharp often metallic explosive or percussive noise or series of such noises

3

: to play a sport (such as basketball) in a very aggressive and forceful manner

bang for rebounds

bang

2 of 5

noun (1)

1

: a resounding blow

2

: a sudden loud noise

—often used interjectionally

3

a

: a sudden striking effect

b

: a quick burst of energy

start off with a bang

c

: thrill

I get a bang out of all this

—W. H. Whyte

4

vulgar slang

a

: an act of copulation

b

: a sexual partner

5

informal : exclamation point

bang

3 of 5

adverb

: right, directly

ran bang up against more trouble

bang

4 of 5

noun (2)

plural bangs

US

: the front section of a person's hair when it is cut short and worn over the forehead

—usually used in plural

wore her bangs short

She had long hair with bangs.

In person, Miss Chin is small and pretty, with black button eyes, fluffy black bangs and dimples that show when she giggles …

—Helen Lawrenson

bang

5 of 5

verb (2)

banged; banging; bangs

transitive verb

: to cut (hair) short and squarely across

Phrases

bang for the buck or less commonly bang for one's buck or bang for the dollar or bang for one's dollar

US, informal

: value received from outlay or effort

investment is yielding less bang for the buck

—Fortune

"They are going to try to get the best bang for their dollar, and they have to do it this way." Brock Lesnar

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• bash
• bump
• collide
• crash
• hit
• impact
• impinge
• knock
• ram
• slam
• smash
• strike
• swipe
• thud

Noun (1)

• bash
• bat
• beat
• belt
• biff
• blow
• bop
• box
• buffet
• bust
• chop
• clap
• clip
• clout
• crack
• cuff
• dab
• douse [British]
• fillip
• hack
• haymaker
• hit
• hook
• knock
• larrup [dialect]
• lash
• lick
• pelt
• pick
• plump
• poke
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slug
• smack
• smash
• sock
• spank
• stinger
• stripe
• stroke
• swat
• swipe
• switch
• thud
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• welt
• whack
• wham
• whop
• whap

Adverb

• directly
• forthwith
• headlong
• immediately
• incontinently
• instantaneously
• instanter
• instantly
• now
• PDQ
• plumb
• presently
• promptly
• pronto
• right
• right away
• right now
• right off
• straight off
• straightaway
• straightway

Examples of bang in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the toy car banged into the wall and stopped

idly banged trees with a stick

stomped off to his room and banged the door

Noun (1)

delivered a sharp bang that rattled the door

a sudden bang made the cat jump

tried to get the most bang for her money at the attractions at the county fair

Adverb

The show began bang on time.

the reform movement was just beginning when it bang ran into opposition

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As for her hair, the 57-year-old actor served real Marilyn Monroe energy, styling her hair in a bouncy bob with her micro bangs swept away from her face. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 22 May 2025

Among her most notable wigs are her fiery red look complete with feathery bangs in Practical Magic in 1998, her icy blonde waves in season one of Nine Perfect Strangers, her strawberry blonde curls in Eyes Wide Shut, and more. —Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 21 May 2025

Verb

His go-to move was banging pots and pans while walking through the house singing circus music and calling everyone else in the house a meatball. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 20 May 2025

The most eventful, and scary, moment came midway through the half, when Chucky Lozano banged heads with Sporting KC midfield Manu Garcia chasing a high clearance from the box. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse bang hammering

Noun (2)

probably short for bangtail short tail

First Known Use

Verb (1)

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1828, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1874, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1874, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bang

• bang away
• bang-bang
• bang for one's buck
• bang for one's dollar
• bang for the buck
• bang for the dollar
• bang heads together
• bang on
• bang on about
• bang out
• bang to rights
• bang up
• beat/bang the drum for
• big bang
• big bang theory
• flash-bang
• flash-bang grenade
• gang bang
• get a bang out of
• go out with a bang
• slam-bang
• the big bang
• with a bang

Rhymes for bang

• chuang
• clang
• dang
• drang
• fang
• gang
• gangue
• hang
• hange
• kang
• kiang
• langue

Kids Definition

bang

1 of 4 verb

ˈbaŋ 

: to beat, strike, or shut with a loud noise

bang

2 of 4 noun

1

: a violent blow

2

: a sudden loud noise

3

a

: a quick burst of energy

start off with a bang

b

: a feeling of being thrilled or pleased

you'll get a bang out of this

bang

3 of 4 noun

: hair cut short across the forehead

—usually used in plural

bang

4 of 4 verb

: to cut (front hair) short and squarely across

Etymology

Verb

probably of Scandinavian origin

Noun

probably from earlier bangtail "a short tail (on a horse)"