1
a
: having a sudden, forceful, or attention-grabbing effect : punchy
bang-bang headlines
b
: executed or happening so quickly as to make judgment (as by an umpire or referee) difficult
a bang-bang play at first base
2
: characterized by violent or fast-paced action
a bang-bang movie

Examples of bang-bang in a Sentence

the film lacks compelling characters, but it has plenty of bang-bang action
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite the bang-bang nature of the play, To’oTo’o was called for unnecessary roughness. Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025 Ortiz was standing behind Lowe as the bang-bang play unfolded. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025 He’s also involved in some dodgy side hustles, which leads to a lot of peripheral gunplay and tangential, ha-ha–bang-bang set pieces that feel cherry-picked from Coen’s back catalog. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025 The bang-bang ending gave Colorado (35-89) its third straight win and clinched the four-game series with the Diamondbacks. Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025 The Dodgers took more good at-bats in the seventh, when another double from Freeman set up Pages for a two-out, two-run single — with Freeman racing home on his battered right ankle to score on a bang-bang slide. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bang-bang was in 1911

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Cite this Entry

“Bang-bang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bang-bang. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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