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

see also:

bang for the buck go out with a bang

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 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

Synonyms of bang

Verb (1)

• bump
• slam
• collide
• smash
• knock
• hit
• crash
• ram

Noun (1)

• blow
• thump
• thud
• slap
• hit
• knock
• punch
• whack
• pound
• swipe
• smack
• stroke
• poke
• lick
• slam
• spank

Adverb

• immediately
• promptly
• instantly
• right
• now
• directly
• away
• at once

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

Verb

Led by singer-songwriter Jade Lilitri, the band closes out an indie-rock walkabout with a rediscovered passion for the head-banging pop punk that brought bristle to their earlier work. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026

Kicker Zane Gonzalez was shaky in his second game with the team, missing one field goal and banging another one in off the upright. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026

Noun

Sienna Miller made a romantic case for the blurred lip, Emily Blunt embraced a wintry shade of blonde, and Kim Petras dialed up the drama with graphic liner and ice-blonde bangs. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Nov. 2026

InStyle tapped four hairstylists to round up the 10 best blunt hairstyles for thin hair, from cowgirl bobs to straight-across bangs. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 6 Nov. 2026

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
• head-bang
• slam-bang
• the big bang
• with a bang

Rhymes for bang

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

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)"