Bang

Pronunciation

• enPR: băng, IPA: en, /bæŋ(É¡)/
• Rhymes: -en, -æŋ

From , from , *bangan or ; both from , from . Cognate with , , , bengel ("club"), , bangeln ("to strike, beat"), , bongel, , , bungen ("to throb, pulsate").

In the sense of a fringe of hair, from bang off.

Alternative forms

• bangue obsolete

Full definition of bang

Noun

1. A sudden percussive noise.
   When he struck it with a hammer, there was a loud bang.
2. A strike upon an object causing such a noise.
3. An explosion.
4. (US, archaic) : hair hanging over the forehead, especially a hairstyle with such hair cut straight across.
   Tiffany has long hair and bangs.
• his hair cut in front like a young lady's bang
• 1902, w, Squeaker's Mate, She was not much to look at. Her red hair hung in an uncurled bang over her forehead
5. (US) The symbol !, known as an exclamation point.
   An e-mail address with an ! is called a bang path
6. (mathematics) A factorial, in mathematics, because the factorial of n is often written as n!
7. (vulgar, slang) An act of sexual intercourse.
8. An offbeat figure typical of reggae songs and played on guitar and piano.
9. (slang, mining) An explosive product.
   Load the bang into the hole.
10. (slang) An injection, a shot (of a narcotic drug). from 20th c.
• 1952, William S. Burroughs, in Harris (ed.), Letters 1945–59, Penguin 2009, p. 101:As for myself, I take a bang now and then—I know plenty of croakers—but I really couldn't keep up a habit without a lot of running around and bother.
11. (slang, US, Boston area) An abrupt left turn.

Synonyms

• strike, blow
• explosion
• (the symbol !) exclamation point, exclamation mark

Antonyms

• (abrupt left turn) hang

Verb

1. (intransitive) To make sudden loud noises, and often repeatedly, especially by exploding or hitting something.
   The fireworks banged away all through the night.
   Stop banging on the door. I heard you the first time!
   My head was banging after drinking all night at the concert.
2. (ambitransitive) To hit hard.
   He banged the door shut.
   David and Mary banged into each other.
• Shakespeare Othello|act=II|scene=i|passage=The desperate tempest hath so banged the Turks.
• 1922, Michael Arlen, “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days Chapter 3/19/2
3. (slang, ambitransitive, vulgar) To engage in sexual intercourse.
   We can hear the couple banging upstairs.
4. (with "in") To hammer or to hit anything hard.
   Hold the picture while I bang in this nail.
5. (transitive) To cut squarely across, as the tail of a horse, or a person's forelock; to cut (the hair).
• His hair banged even with his eyebrows.

Conjugation

Adverb

1. Right, directly.The passenger door was bang against the garage wall.
• September 18, 2011, Ben Dirs, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia, After yet another missed penalty by Kvirikashvili from bang in front of the posts, England scored again, centre Tuilagi flying into the line and touching down under the bar.
2. Precisely.He arrived bang on time.
3. With a sudden impact.Distracted, he ran bang into the opening door.

Interjection

1. A sudden percussive sound, such as made by the firing of a gun, slamming of a door, etc.He pointed his finger at her like a gun and said, "Bang!"
• 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger, "We help to kill the bloody bandits. Bang, bang, bang."

Derived terms

• (verb) banger, gangbang
• (noun) bang for the buck, big bang
• (adverb) bang on, bang out of order, bang to rights, bang up
  bang-up
• (adjective) bang-bang

Noun

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