Bang — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adverb /ˈbaŋ/

Meaning & Definition of Bang

Bang (verb)

  1. to strike sharply, bump
  2. to knock, hit, or thrust vigorously often with a sharp noise
  3. to have sexual intercourse with
  4. to cut (hair) short and squarely across

Bang (noun)

  1. a resounding blow
  2. a sudden loud noise —often used interjectionally
  3. a sudden striking effect
  4. the front section of a person's hair when it is cut short and worn over the forehead —usually used in plural

Bang (adverb)

  1. right, directly

Bang (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. without delay

    "the reform movement was just beginning when it bang ran into opposition"

    similar: directly, forthwith, headlong, immediately, incontinently, instantaneously, instanter, instantly, now, PDQ, plumb, presently, promptly, pronto, right, right away, right now, right off, straight off, straightaway, straightway, at once, in no time, off the bat, on a dime, on the double, on the spot
    related: away, freely, anon, momentarily, shortly, soon, apace, briskly, fast, fleetly, full tilt, posthaste, quick, quickly, rapidly, readily, snappily, speedily, swift, swiftly, abruptly, presto, suddenly, unexpectedly, hastily, impetuously, impulsively, rashly, recklessly, exactly, opportunely, punctually, seasonably
    near: slowly, late, tardily

Bang (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument

    "delivered a sharp bang that rattled the door"

    similar: bash, bat, beat, belt, biff, blow, bop, box, buffet, bust, chop, clap, clip, clout, crack, cuff, dab, douse (British), fillip, hack, haymaker, hit, hook, knock, larrup (dialect), lash, lick, pelt, pick, plump, poke, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slug, smack, smash, sock, spank, stinger, stripe, stroke, swat, swipe, switch, thud, thump, thwack, wallop, welt, whack, wham, whop
    related: counter, counterblow, counterpunch, counterstroke, body blow, hand, kick, knee, left, one-two, rabbit punch, right, right-hander, roundhouse, shiver, sidewinder, sucker punch, swing, uppercut, cruncher, kayo, knockdown, knockout, KO, bastinado, battering, beating, bludgeoning, clobbering, cudgeling, drubbing, hammering, lambasting, licking, pasting, pounding, pummeling, thrashing, flogging, walloping, whip, whipping

  2. a loud explosive sound

    "a sudden bang made the cat jump"

    similar: blast, boom, clap, crack, crash, pop, report, slam, smash, snap, thunderclap, thwack, whack, whomp, whump
    related: thunk, wham, clang, clangor, clank, clash, knock, rap, tap, blare, clamor, howl, hubbub, hue and cry, hullabaloo, outcry, roar, tumult, uproar

  3. a pleasurably intense stimulation of the feelings

    "tried to get the most bang for her money at the attractions at the county fair"

    similar: boot, charge, exhilaration, frisson, jollies, kick, rush, thrill, titillation, wallop
    related: arousal, buzz, electrification, high, intoxication, jolt, shock, surprise, delectation, delight, enjoyment, joy, lift, pleasure, amusement, diversion, entertainment, fun, treat

Bang (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to come into usually forceful contact with something

    "the toy car banged into the wall and stopped"

    similar: bash, bump, collide, crash, hit, impact, impinge, knock, ram, slam, smash, strike, swipe, thud
    related: bounce, carom, clunk, glance, rebound, ricochet, skim, skip, contact, land, touch, brush, graze, kiss, nudge, scrape, shave, sweep, bulldoze, jostle, muscle, press, push
    near: miss, skirt

  2. to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner

    "idly banged trees with a stick"

    similar: bash, bat, belt, biff, bludgeon, bob, bonk, bop, box, bust, clap, clip, clobber, clock, clout, crack, hammer, hit, knock, nail, paste, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smite, sock, strike, swat, swipe, tag, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale, zap, hang one on
    related: batter, beat, buffet, bung, chop, cuff, drub, lace, lambaste, lick, mangle, maul, pelt, pepper, pommel, pummel, rough, scuff, bunt, flick, stroke, tap, bump, butt, jab, jostle, kick, knee, poke, prod, push, shove, stamp, bowl (down or over), cream, deck, dump (slang), fell, floor, knock down, level, rabbit-punch, sucker punch, cane, club, cudgel, flail, flog, lash, sap, slash, sledge, sledgehammer, spear, stab, switch, thrash, whip, bean, brain, conk, skull

  3. to shove into a closed position with force and noise

    "stomped off to his room and banged the door"

    similar: slam
    related: close, shut, stop, bar, batten (down), bolt, chain, fasten, latch, lock, seal, secure
    near: open, unbar, unbolt, unfasten, unlatch, unlock, unseal

Related Entry: Bang away (verb)

Bang away is a different word from Bang. The synonyms below are for bang away, not for bang.

  1. to devote serious and sustained effort

    "the design team has been banging away at that project for months"

    similar: beaver (away), dig (away), drudge, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work, sweat blood
    related: apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in, attack, drive, essay, try, exercise, exert, overexert, overwork, eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch, trudge, wade
    near: break, ease (up), let up, slacken, bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out, bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind, dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about (British), mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

Related Entry: Bang-bang (adjective)

Bang-bang is a different word from Bang. The synonyms below are for bang-bang, not for bang.

  1. marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity

    "the film lacks compelling characters, but it has plenty of bang-bang action"

    similar: blood-and-guts, convulsive, cyclonic, explosive, ferocious, fierce, furious, hammer-and-tongs, hot, knock-down, drag-out, paroxysmal, rabid, rough, stormy, tempestuous, tumultuous, turbulent, violent, volcanic
    related: barbarous, brutal, savage, vicious, antagonistic, hostile, aggressive, assertive, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, truculent, combustible, volatile, agitated, frantic, frenzied, mad, cataclysmal, destructive, ruinous
    opposite: nonviolent, peaceable, peaceful
    near: calm, halcyon, pacific, serene, tranquil, nonbelligerent, unaggressive

Related Entry: Bang on (adjective)

Bang on is a different word from Bang. The synonyms below are for bang on, not for bang.

  1. being in agreement with the truth or a fact or a standard

    "a London theatre critic who can generally be relied upon for his bang on assessments of new plays in the West End"

    similar: accurate, correct, dead-on, exact, good, on-target, precise, proper, right, so, spot-on, true, veracious, on target, on the money
    related: legitimate, logical, sound, valid, errorless, faultless, flawless, impeccable, inerrant, infallible, letter-perfect, perfect, rigorous, strict, stringent
    opposite: false, improper, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, off, untrue, wrong
    near: defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect

Related Entry: Bang-up (adjective)

Bang-up is a different word from Bang. The synonyms below are for bang-up, not for bang.

  1. of the very best kind

    "you did a bang-up job on this sales report"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Related Entry: Bang away (at) (verb)

Bang away (at) is a different word from Bang. The synonyms below are for bang away (at), not for bang.

  1. as in batter, buffet

    similar: batter, buffet, plaster, barrage, cannon, cannonade, beleaguer, besiege, press, blitz, bomb, bombard, nuke, harry, loot, pillage, plunder, ravage, sack, ambuscade, ambush, surprise, waylay, foray, invade, overrun, mug, rob, envelop, flank, bum-rush, gang up (on), mob, swarm
    opposite: cover, defend, guard, protect, secure, shield

Related Entry: Bang up (verb)

Bang up is a different word from Bang. The synonyms below are for bang up, not for bang.

  1. as in break, hurt

    similar: break, damage, harm, hurt, impair, mar, shatter, spoil, graffiti, tag, annihilate, demolish, destroy, devastate, ravage, raven, raze, ruin, scourge, smash, tear down, total, waste, wipe out, wrack, wreck, desecrate, violate, sabotage, deface, trash, vandalize, depredate, despoil, loot, maraud, pillage, plunder, ransack, sack, spoliate
    opposite: conserve, preserve, protect, save, salvage, build, rebuild

Related Entry: Slam-bang (adjective)

Slam-bang is a different word from Bang. The synonyms below are for slam-bang, not for bang.

  1. marked by a high volume of sound

    "heard a slam-bang crash from the garage"

    similar: blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, piercing, plangent, resounding, ringing, roaring, sonorous, stentorian, thundering, thunderous
    related: brazen, dinning, discordant, noisy, obstreperous, raucous, rip-roaring, vociferous, grating, harsh, overloud, sharp, shrill, squealing, strident
    opposite: gentle, low, soft
    near: dead, quiet, silent, still, stilly, ultraquiet, calm, dreamy, peaceful, restful, serene, soothing, tranquil, hushed, muffled, muted, softened, toned (down)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bang

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bang:

British: douse
Dialect: larrup
directly, forthwith, headlong, immediately, incontinently, instantaneously, instanter, instantly, now, PDQ, plumb, presently, promptly, pronto, right, right away, right now, right off, straight off, straightaway, straightway, at once, in no time, off the bat, on a dime, on the double, on the spot, bash, bat, beat, belt, biff, blow, bop, box, buffet, bust, chop, clap, clip

Related Words for Bang

away, freely, anon, momentarily, shortly, soon, apace, briskly, fast, fleetly, full tilt, posthaste, quick, quickly, rapidly, readily, snappily, speedily, swift, swiftly, abruptly, presto, suddenly, unexpectedly, hastily, impetuously, impulsively, rashly, recklessly, exactly

Near Antonyms of Bang

slowly, late, tardily, miss, skirt, open, unbar, unbolt, unfasten, unlatch, unlock, unseal

Word Forms of Bang

Inflections: banged, banging, bangs

Origin & Etymology of Bang

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse bang hammering

First known use: circa 1550t

Words & Phrases Containing Bang

bang away, bang-bang, bang for the buck, bang on

Frequently Asked Questions about Bang

What does "Bang" mean?

"Bang" means to strike sharply, bump. As an a verb, a noun and an adverb, it is defined as: to strike sharply, bump. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bang"?

Other words for "Bang" include directly, forthwith, headlong, immediately, incontinently, instantaneously, instanter and instantly. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bang" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bang"?

There are 307 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bang". Common alternatives include directly, forthwith, headlong, immediately, incontinently, instantaneously, instanter, instantly, now and PDQ.

How do you use "Bang" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bang" in a sentence: "the reform movement was just beginning when it bang ran into opposition"; "delivered a sharp bang that rattled the door"; "a sudden bang made the cat jump".

Is "Bang" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bang" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Bang"?

"Bang" is pronounced /ˈbaŋ/.

What is the origin of the word "Bang"?

"Bang" comes from probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse bang hammering. First known use: circa 1550t.

What is another word for "Bang" meaning "without delay"?

When "Bang" (adverb) means without delay, synonyms include directly, forthwith, headlong, immediately, incontinently and instantaneously.