banged; banging; bangs
1
: to strike sharply : bump
banged his knee
2
: to knock, hit, or thrust vigorously often with a sharp noise
banged the door shut
3
vulgar slang
: to have sexual intercourse with
1
: to strike with a sharp noise or thump
2
: to produce a sharp often metallic explosive or percussive noise or series of such noises
3
: to play a sport (such as basketball) in a very aggressive and forceful manner
bang for rebounds
1
: a resounding blow
2
: a sudden loud noise
—often used interjectionally
3
a
: a sudden striking effect
b
: a quick burst of energy
start off with a bang
c
: thrill
I get a bang out of all this …—
W. H. Whyte
W. H. Whyte4
vulgar slang
a
: an act of copulation
b
: a sexual partner
5
informal
: exclamation point
see also bang for the buck
plural bangs
US
: the front section of a person's hair when it is cut short and worn over the forehead
—usually used in plural
wore her bangs short
She had long hair with bangs.
In person, Miss Chin is small and pretty, with black button eyes, fluffy black bangs and dimples that show when she giggles …—Helen Lawrenson
Helen Lawrenson
banged; banging; bangs
: to cut (hair) short and squarely across
Examples of bang in a Sentence
Verb (1)
the toy car banged into the wall and stopped
idly banged trees with a stick
stomped off to his room and banged the door
Noun (1)
delivered a sharp bang that rattled the door
a sudden bang made the cat jump
tried to get the most bang for her money at the attractions at the county fair
Adverb
The show began bang on time.
the reform movement was just beginning when it bang ran into opposition
Recent Examples on the Web
Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Anthropic’s lunchroom, downstairs, was where Claude banged its head against walls in real life.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Feb. 2026
Luciana debuted a brand new bob with side bangs just weeks after rocking ultra long hair at another red carpet appearance.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bang
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show current usage.
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Verb
And Peters has been banging his head on his desk trying to get Congress to use it.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Anthropic’s lunchroom, downstairs, was where Claude banged its head against walls in real life.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
This cut has the coolness of a long, rock-and-roll shag, but floatier layers and romantic, face-framing pieces, or curtain bangs, to bring it into 2026.
—Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Feb. 2026
Luciana debuted a brand new bob with side bangs just weeks after rocking ultra long hair at another red carpet appearance.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bang
Cite this Entry
“Bang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bang. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bang
1 of 4 verb
: to beat, strike, or shut with a loud noise
bang
2 of 4 noun1
: a violent blow
2
: a sudden loud noise
3
a
: a quick burst of energy
start off with a bang
b
: a feeling of being thrilled or pleased
you'll get a bang out of this
bang
3 of 4 noun
: hair cut short across the forehead
—usually used in plural
bang
4 of 4 verb
: to cut (front hair) short and squarely across
Etymology
Verb
probably of Scandinavian origin
Noun
probably from earlier bangtail "a short tail (on a horse)"
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