bang
pronunciation
How to pronounce bang in British English:
UK [bæŋ]
How to pronounce bang in American English:
US [bæŋ]
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- Noun:
- a vigorous blow
- a sudden very loud noise
- a fringe of banged hair (cut short squarely across the forehead)
- the swift release of a store of affective force
- a conspicuous success
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- Verb:
- strike violently
- to produce a sharp often metallic explosive or percussive sound
- close violently
- move noisily
- have sexual intercourse with
- leap, jerk, bang
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- Adverb:
- directly
Word Origin
- bang (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 endsNot with a bang but a whimper[T.S. Eliot, "Hollow Men," 1925]
Example
- 1. The dinosaurs went out with a bang .
- 2. Those startled by the flash and bang soon settle back into their dreams .
- 3. A light appeared , the n two men on the stairs , the m a sudden bright flash , and a loud bang .
- 4. Then there came a great crash and bang .
- 5. Thus , unusually , exxon finds itself bang in line with public opinion .