banger

noun

bang·​er ˈbaŋ-ər 

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 … 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

Synonyms of banger

• sausage

Examples of banger in a Sentence

bangers and mash is classic British pub cuisine

Recent Examples on the Web

Past albums like Lyfë and 2093 were best experienced as hourslong excursions into illegible rage-rap experiences that washed over the listener, with Yeat’s voice muttering his harmonies amid glitchy laptop bangers. —Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026

From mid-2000s dance pop to quintessential hip-hop, punk rock and anthemic country, tell us which nostalgic banger lives on in your heart as the defining song of 2006. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 31 Mar. 2026

Their debut mini-LP, 2020’s Kill Me or Negotiate, paired Simo Cell’s most concussive productions with Miniawy’s hypnotic, mantra-like singing, yielding a collection of potent and unorthodox bangers. —Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 25 Mar. 2026

But no one can rule the Rams out after Thursday’s absolute banger. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for banger

• ganger
• hangar
• hanger