Etymology

Noun

1. A sudden percussive noise.

   When he struck it with a hammer, there was a loud bang.

2. A strike upon an object causing such a noise.
3. An explosion.
4. (especially plural) A fringe of hair cut across the forehead. (British: fringe)

   Tiffany has long hair and bangs.

   1902: She was not much to look at. Her red hair hung in an uncurled bang over her forehead — Barbara Baynton, short story Squeaker's Mate (variously reprinted, including in The Penguin Century of Australian Stories, ed. Carmel Bird, 2000, ISBN 0-670-89233-5)

5. The symbol !, known as an exclamation point.

   An e-mail address with an ! is called a bang path.

6. A factorial, in mathematics, because the factorial of n is often written as n!
7. An act of sexual intercourse.
8. plural: Brucellosis, a bacterial disease (a corruption of the alternate name "Bang's disease")
9. An offbeat figure typical of reggae songs and played on guitar and piano.
10. An explosive product, in mining

    Load the bang into the hole.

11. An abrupt left turn, in Boston slang; the opposite of this, an abrupt right turn, is a hang

Synonyms

• strike, blow
• explosion
• fringe
• exclamation point, exclamation mark

Verb

1. To make sudden loud noises, and often repeatedly, especially by exploding or hitting something.

   The fireworks banged away all through the night.

2. To engage in sexual intercourse.
   • It's also my job to take care of the skanks on the road that you bang. - Tom Cruise in the movie Jerry Maguire
   • He was banging cocktail waitresses two at a time! - Alex Rocco in the movie The Godfather
3. To hammer or to hit anything hard.

   Hold the picture while I bang in this nail.

Interjection

1. a verbal emulation of a sudden percussive sound

   He pointed his finger at her like a gun and said, "Bang!"

See also

• banger
• banging, bangin
• bang for the buck
• bang on
• bang out of order
• bang to rights
• bang up / bang-up
• big bang
• gangbang