banger

noun bang·er \ ˈbaŋ-ər \

Definition of banger

1 British : sausage

2 British : firecracker

3 British : jalopy

4 informal : a forceful and aggressive athlete

Williamson, the 6- 7, 245-pound forward, is a versatile banger who loves to play inside and has a deft shooting touch.
—William C. Phoden

5 slang : a member of a street gang : gangbanger

He is disciplined, regimented, right down to the humiliating yet soothing ritual of picking up after his dog as he walks through the hood, past scornful young bangers …
—Mike Newirth

6 slang : an energetic song that is very striking or extraordinary

… it's a near-perfect hip-hop album for 2008, loaded with hardcore bangers, pop-friendly hooks, party anthems and confessional lyrics …
—Chuck Arnold

7 informal : an automobile or engine with a specified number of cylinders —used in combination

When he first started driving Toyotas, they were four-bangers or V-6s …
—Jerry Garrett

See banger defined for English-language learners

Examples of banger in a Sentence

bangers and mash is classic British pub cuisine

Recent Examples of banger from the Web

With Miami’s big-time matchup vs. rival Notre Dame coming up on Saturday night, local rapper Solo D dropped a banger that’s bound to be a hit.

— rolando rosa, ajc, "LISTEN: Miami rapper releases epic Hurricanes ‘Turnover Chain’ song," 6 Nov. 2017
Brown has a huge fan base, and they were very hyped for his marginal singing, schmedium bangers and admittedly fantastic dancing.

— danielle c. belton, The Root, "Tidal X Was an Epic 6-Hour Musical Marathon I Wasn’t Fit Enough to Run," 18 Oct. 2017
Despite the rain, Kaskade deftly swept through his incendiary set with dance-heavy bangers.

— carl lamarre, Billboard, "J. Cole and Solange Light Up Day 1 of Made in America Festival 2017," 3 Sep. 2017
View 67 Photos 25 mpg from a 4 banger on the highway.

— mike sutton, Car and Driver, "2018 Subaru WRX STI," 30 Oct. 2017
Hot bangers from the backyard and basement for sure.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Strawberry Jacuzzi’s Shannon Candy on bratty punks who love drag and snacks," 3 Oct. 2017
One thing is for sure: The region once known for bland bangers and mash is still on the up-and-up.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "Eat Your Heart Out: London Lands a Bunch More Michelin-Starred Restaurants," 3 Oct. 2017
That torque-rich four-banger gets the Cruze from a standing start to 60 in a follicle under eight seconds.

— al haas, Philly.com, "It's smooth sailing with the Chevrolet Cruze line," 16 Sep. 2017
Under Obama’s guidelines, our gang-banger qualifies as a DREAMer.

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "DACA: Trump Does the Full Obama on Prosecutorial Discretion," 9 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'banger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.