Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: COLOURS AND SOUNDS

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language

bang

2 verb
     
bang2
1 [intransitive and transitive]C to hit something hard, making a loud noise
bang on
Stop banging on the door!
bang your fist/hand on something
She banged her fist on the table.
The baby kept banging the table with his spoon.
2 [transitive]C to put something down or against something with a lot of force, making a loud noise
bang something down
She banged the phone down.
bang something on/against something
He banged a teapot on the table.
3 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to close something violently, making a loud noise, or to be closed in this way [= slam]:
I ran out, banging the door behind me.
The window banged shut.
4 [transitive] to hit a part of your body or something you are carrying against something, by accident [= bump]
bang something on something
I fell and banged my head on the pavement.
5 [intransitive]C to make a loud noise or noises:
The gate keeps banging in the wind.
6 [transitive] not polite to have sex with someone

➔ bang the drum for somebody/something

at drum1 (4)

; ➔ bang somebody's heads together

at head1 (32)

➔ be (like) banging your head against a brick wall

at head1 (31)

bang about/around

phrasal verb
to move around a place, making a lot of noise:
We could hear them banging about upstairs.

bang on

phrasal verb
informal to talk continuously about something in a boring way [= go on]
bang on about
I wish he wouldn't keep banging on about politics.

bang something ↔ out

phrasal verb
1APM to play a tune or song loudly and badly on a piano
2 to write something in a hurry, especially using a keyboard

bang somebody/something ↔ up

phrasal verb
1SCJ British English to put someone in prison
2 American English to seriously damage something:
a banged-up old Buick
WORD FOCUS: hit WORD FOCUS: hit
with your fist: punch, thump, bash
with your open hand as a punishment: smack, spank, slap
with a hammer: bang, hammer
in order to get attention: bang, knock, tap, hammer
accidentally: bump into, crash into, strike, bang, knock, collide (with)

➔ See also hit
Definition of bang from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic COLOURS AND SOUNDS
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