as in struggling
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 banging 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
Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banging away
Verb
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There is no one more qualified than Horner, who is available to revolutionize a struggling team like Alpine or build a team from scratch.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Silvia faces the trauma of having been poisoned and closely manipulated, while Isabela deals with the aftermath of the accident and the blackmail, struggling with her guilt and the ongoing challenges of her addiction, though she is never taken into custody.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With The Fulfillment, the sub-context is how clout culture is a currency, how attention itself has become a currency, just like our laboring bodies are.—
Christopher Claxton,
Billboard,
19 Sep. 2025
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While such a scenario sounds potentially maudlin and manipulative, Lucero — who wrote the film from a personal place — never allows that to happen by making the characters complex and flawed, and laboring under real-life issues.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many top performers are burning out not from overwork alone, but from the emotional toll of never feeling allowed to stop striving.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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On top of striving for clarity and organization, Virgo holds itself and others to high standards.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In December Democratic senators critical of Medicaid work requirements, including Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, had asked the GAO to report on the administrative costs of implementing Pathways and verifying that recipients are working, studying or volunteering.—
Margaret Coker,
ProPublica,
24 Sep. 2025
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Spontaneity became part of the process, and working with kids or younger participants often led to the most joyful, unexpected images.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Banging away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banging%20away. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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