I. ˈbaŋ, -aiŋ verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic banga to hammer, Old Swedish banga; probably of imitative origin like Old Norse bang hammering, Middle High German bungen to drum
transitive verb
1. archaic : to beat soundly (as with a cudgel) : thrash
2. : to strike against : bump
fall and bang one's knee
3. : to knock (an object) a distance with noisy vigor
banged a homer over the center-field bleachers
4.
a. : to thrust, put, push, or force vigorously often with a sharp noise
bang a book down
bang a receiver up
the driver banged in the clutch — G.A.Wagner
b. : to copulate with — usually considered vulgar
5. : to produce a resounding report or series of reports by striking
bang a drum
don't bang the door
bang a gavel
6.
a. : to treat roughly or carelessly
packages badly banged around by the post office
: mistreat so as to leave dents, bruises, or other signs of damage
bang furniture
b. : to cause extensive damage to : ruin — used with up
banged up his car
7. chiefly dialect : beat , surpass , outdo
don't it just bang anything you ever heard of — Mark Twain
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to strike with a sharp noise
the falling chair banged against the wall
the door banged shut
b. : to strike repeatedly
buckles of his helmet straps banging against his cheeks — K.M.Dodson
: beat or thump with a resounding series of blows
bang on a door
2. : to produce a sharp often metallic explosive or percussive noise or series of such noises
drums thumped, crackers banged, horns screamed — John Blofeld
a brass band banging away on the village green
3.
a. : to move or proceed rapidly or noisily : dash , rush
we grab our coats and bang down the stairs
a train banging along down the valley
b. : to go from one thing to another : frequent a place without definite or sustained purpose — used with about or around
in 1923, when I was banging around Madison Avenue — William Benton
4. : to shoot especially in a sporadic or desultory manner — usually used with away
the town got out its shotguns … and banged away at the flock going over — Paul Annixter
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably of Scandinavian origin, akin to Old Norse bang hammering
1. : a resounding blow : thump , whack
gave the ball a terrific bang
a bang on the head
2.
a. : a sudden loud noise
closed the door with a bang
the bang of a rifle
— often used interjectionally
saw flashes and heard an automatic go bang — Erle Stanley Gardner
b. : earsplitting noise often of a metallic quality
the deafening clang and bang of a … boiler factory — Lamp
they played with a virile blare and bang — S.H.Adams
3. : sudden emotional pleasure : thrill
the kind that will try anything once — for the bang of it — J.P.Marquand
— often used with get or give
I get a bang out of all this — W.H.Whyte
Jean looked very beautiful and it gave him a bang to be with her — Frederic Wakeman
4.
a. : a sudden or abrupt burst of showiness, brilliancy, or éclat
you've got to have a press campaign. Not a big one, necessarily, after the first big bang — Dorothy Sayers
b. : sudden effectiveness or success
went over with a bang
5.
a. : emotional or physical vitality
no bang left in him
b. : a quick burst of energy or activity
start off with a bang
: sudden fervor
fell for her with a bang
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to cut (the hair) in a bang
2. : to cut (the hair of an animal) like a bang
bang a horse's tail
IV. adverb
: right , directly , exactly
bang on time
married bang in the middle of the war
ran bang up against more trouble
open spaces … bang on top of old colliery workings — Sam Pollock
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably back-formation from bangtail short tail — more at bangtail
: the front hair or a section of it cut short and worn straight or curled over the forehead — usually used in plural
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. : a common sardine ( Sardinella anchovia ) of the western Atlantic especially abundant in the Caribbean area
2. : alewife
VII.
variant of bhang
VIII. noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Sanskrit Vaṅga Bengal
1. : an ancient people of Bengal, India, differing racially and culturally from the Aryans whose literature refers to them disdainfully
2. : a member of the Bang people
IX. noun
also bang for one's buck
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- bang for the buck