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
Blow-dry bangs away from the face with a round brush or Velcro rollers for effortless-looking volume.
—
Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 7 Apr. 2026
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
Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 7 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bang away
Verb
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Predator ranks growing California is struggling to manage the behavior of other predators whose ranks are growing thanks to the state’s conservation programs and endangered species protections.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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His campaign goals included reinstating and expanding bus services, attracting additional low-income housing options through federal and state grants, and increasing resource distribution by the city to homeless residents and those struggling with addiction.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Put differently, eliminating tax on overtime reduces the number of hours each day that hourly workers are laboring not for themselves or their families but for the government.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Smith allowed one hit in the laboring 99-pitch outing.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Telemundo strives to stay out of the political fray, Garcia said.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
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The referee’s voice is heard rarely, even on channels and in publications that normally strive to find editorial balance and know that giving both sides of a story is fair and of interest to viewers, listeners and readers.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Authorities are investigating a whistle-blower tip alleging that two Information Technology employees were working full-time for both the City of Dallas and the City of Austin simultaneously.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Pristine is specially formulated to work with all kinds of toilet paper.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bang away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bang%20away. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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