as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the design team has been banging away at that project for months
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Recent Examples of bang away
Brian Cashman gets it all the time, but good, from Yankee fans; for them, banging away at Cashman on social media feels like the real national pastime.
—
Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Former staff leaked internal spats and embarrassing editorial ideas by the new leadership and pointed out that many top leaders were banging away at stories that were likely below their pay grade.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 June 2025
One of the roadies came out to bang away on the piano, the notes more felt than heard, part of the noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024
As several drummers banged away, Vázquez danced near a table and teammates clapped along to the music, including a spirited effort from Royce Lewis.
—Dan Hayes, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
Norton remembers banging away on his dad’s Smith Corona typewriter in the den.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
The manager demonstrated how to use the rock hammers, and then people got to banging away, trying to find opals in the rock.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2023
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023
Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Former staff leaked internal spats and embarrassing editorial ideas by the new leadership and pointed out that many top leaders were banging away at stories that were likely below their pay grade.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 June 2025
One of the roadies came out to bang away on the piano, the notes more felt than heard, part of the noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024
As several drummers banged away, Vázquez danced near a table and teammates clapped along to the music, including a spirited effort from Royce Lewis.
—Dan Hayes, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
Norton remembers banging away on his dad’s Smith Corona typewriter in the den.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
The manager demonstrated how to use the rock hammers, and then people got to banging away, trying to find opals in the rock.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2023
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bang away
Verb
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Engineers have struggled to close the reaction gap between human perception and machine processing without sacrificing accuracy.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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De Meo was recruited from the auto industry, and his experience included turning around the struggling automaker Renault at the start of the decade.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When the novel opens in Florence, in 1557, the body of the painter Jacopo da Pontormo lies in the chapel of San Lorenzo—in front of the frescoes he’d labored over for a decade, with a painter’s chisel stuck in his heart.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
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Johnson labored through a tender calf, cramping and fatigue.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Because Lindsey Vonn’s comeback and crash accomplished the one goal that all sports strive to achieve.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
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Her two oldest boys will be big parts of the men’s team, striving for their first gold since 1980.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fernandez positioned himself on the shoulder of the last defender as Malo Gusto worked space for a low cross from the right that ran through to the back post.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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One survivor can no longer work her manual labor job.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bang away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bang%20away. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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