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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.
Contemporary Examples

He got banged up, but was only seriously injured long after he had missed his chance.
The LeBron James Who Wasn’t: The Story of Lenny Cooke Thomas Flynn December 4, 2013

Historical Examples

Ten thousand in sapphires you couldn’t match in a hundred years, and Molly coming in banged up like a prize-fighter!
The Voice in the Fog Harold MacGrath

It was only then I noticed that she was banged up quite a bit for a Mekstrom.
Highways in Hiding George Oliver Smith

At this moment the front door slammed, and Ted banged up the stairs, and rushed in.
The Romance of His Life Mary Cholmondeley

I mean the shovel you banged up hammering on the drift to make us hear.
The Iron Boys in the Mines James R. Mears

“I’m all banged up—nerves shot to pieces,” he said abruptly, turning his gaze intently upon Archie.
Blacksheep! Blacksheep! Meredith Nicholson

The army doctors rejected me for combat service; I’m too banged up.
The Five Arrows Allan Chase

Una marched to the window, snapped up the blind, banged up the sash, and left the room.
The Job Sinclair Lewis

I’ll take a look at them and see how badly they’ve been banged up.
Four-Day Planet Henry Beam Piper

I banged up the plate, saw a blur of something slinking down between the type bar levers again.
Brknk’s Bounty Gerald Allan Sohl

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”]

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