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excellent; extraordinary.
a loud, sudden, explosive noise, as the discharge of a gun.
a resounding stroke or blow:
a nasty bang on the head.
Informal. a sudden movement or show of energy:
He started with a bang.
energy; vitality; spirit:
The bang has gone out of my work.
Informal. sudden or intense pleasure; thrill; excitement:
a big bang out of seeing movies.
Slang: Vulgar. sexual intercourse.
Printing and Computer Slang. an exclamation point.
to strike or beat resoundingly; pound:
to bang a door.
to hit or bump painfully:
to bang one’s ankle on a chair leg.
to throw or set down roughly; slam:
He banged the plates on the table.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.
to strike violently or noisily:
to bang on the door.
to make a loud, sudden, explosive noise like that of a violent blow:
The guns banged all night.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
suddenly and loudly; abruptly or violently:
She fell bang against the wall.
directly; precisely; right:
He stood bang in the middle of the flower bed.
bang into, to collide with; bump into:
The truck skidded on the ice and banged into a parked car.
bang up, to damage:
A passing car banged up our fender.
bang off, Chiefly British Slang. immediately; right away.
bang on, Chiefly British Slang. terrific; marvelous; just right:
That hat is absolutely bang on.
Historical Examples

They both hit the floor and went slithering across it to bang up against the opposite wall.
Dave Dawson at Truk Robert Sydney Bowen

Well, if you did know him, you’d know that he’s just the man we want; bang up; made for it.
From the Easy Chair, vol. 1 George William Curtis

“This is bang up, Bob,” said Tom Flannery, smacking his lips.
The Boy Broker Frank A. Munsey

As in England, we will be bang up against an industrial awakening that will mark an epoch.
The War After the War Isaac Frederick Marcosson

Besides, Ted knew what it meant to bang up against a tree in the dark, and knock the skin off one’s nose.
The Banner Boy Scouts on a Tour George A. Warren

You’re bang up against reality–you’re going clean into it–and the sense of it’s exquisite.
The Tree of Heaven May Sinclair

And if you don’t get top enough on your own ball you will not follow through, however hard you bang up against the other.
The Complete Golfer [1905] Harry Vardon

This night I succeeded in getting a “bang up” supper—a cooked meal—at a reb farm-house.
War from the Inside Frederick L. (Frederick Lyman) Hitchcock

He helped me put the horse away in good shape, and then got me a regular “bang up” supper despite the late hour.
Wolf and Coyote Trapping A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding

verb
(transitive, adverb) (prison slang) to lock up (a prisoner) in his or her cell, esp for the night
noun
a short loud explosive noise, as of the bursting of a balloon or the report of a gun
a hard blow or knock, esp a noisy one; thump: he gave the ball a bang
(informal) a startling or sudden effect: he realized with a bang that he was late
(slang) an injection of heroin or other narcotic
(taboo, slang) an act of sexual intercourse
(US & Canadian, slang) get a bang out of, to experience a thrill or excitement from
with a bang, successfully: the party went with a bang
verb
to hit or knock, esp with a loud noise; bump: to bang one’s head
to move noisily or clumsily: to bang about the house
to close (a door, window, etc) or (of a door, etc) be closed noisily; slam
(transitive) to cause to move by hitting vigorously: he banged the ball over the fence
to make or cause to make a loud noise, as of an explosion
(transitive) (Brit)

to cause (stock prices) to fall by rapid selling
to sell rapidly in (a stock market), thus causing prices to fall

(taboo, slang) to have sexual intercourse with
(intransitive) (slang) to inject heroin, etc
(informal) bang for one’s buck, value for money: this option offers more bang for your buck
(informal) bang goes, that is the end of: bang goes my job in Wapping
bang one’s head against a brick wall, to try to achieve something impossible
adverb
with a sudden impact or effect: bang went his hopes of winning, the car drove bang into a lamp-post
precisely: bang in the middle of the road
(slang) bang to rights, caught red-handed
go bang, to burst, shut, etc, with a loud noise See also bang up
noun
a fringe or section of hair cut straight across the forehead
verb (transitive)
to cut (the hair) in such a style
to dock (the tail of a horse, etc)
noun
a variant spelling of bhang
v.

1540s, “to strike hard with a loud blow,” from a Scandinavian sourse akin to Old Norse banga “to pound, hammer” of echoic origin. Slang meaning “have sexual intercourse with” first recorded 1937. Bang-up “excellent, first-rate,” 1820, probably shortened from phrase bang up to the mark. The noun is recorded from late 16c.

This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper

[T.S. Eliot, “Hollow Men,” 1925]

Bang (bāng, bäng), Bernhard Lauritz Frederik. 1848-1932.

Danish veterinarian who discovered Brucella abortus, the agent of brucellosis in cattle and of undulant fever in humans.

adverb

Precisely; exactly: bang on the hour (1820s+)

noun

A very pleasurable sensation; surge of joy; thrill; kick, rush: This’ll give you a big bang (1930+)
An injection of a narcotic, esp an intravenous shot of heroin (1910+ Narcotics)
The sex act: The wedding night, you idiot. The first bang. How was it?
An exclamation point; shriek: Let’s stick a bang on it to dress it up (Printers 1930s+, computer 1980s+)
A drink of liquor; shot: Give me a bang of Jaeger Meister (1990s+) v1x To do the sex act with or to; copulate with: He banged her twice and left happy (1916+) 2 To be in a youth gang; be a gangbanger

Related Terms

big bang, gang bang, get a bang (or charge) out of someone or something, go over with a bang, whizbang

[late 1980s+ Los Angeles gangs; from the rhyme, but influenced by gang bang, ”serial sex act done by a group of males to one woman”]

adjective

Excellent; superior: I have some bang-up gin/ You’ve done a bang-up job on that report, Smythe (1830s+ British)
Damage, injure, as in Banging up the car a second time will make Dad very unhappy, or Mother fell down the stairs and was all banged up. The verb to bang alone had this meaning from the 1500s on, up being added in the late 1800s. In the early 1800s it gave rise to the colloquial adjective bang-up, for excellent or very successful, as in David did a bang-up job baking the birthday cake.

bang away
bang for the buck
bang into
bang one’s head against
bang out
bang up