rhizoverbBeta
DictionarybangLoud noise or impact
noun / verb / interjection

bang

BANG/bˈæŋ/

A sudden sharp noise, often from a forceful impact.

A balloon bursts with a bang beside the startled man.

A balloon bursting beside a startled man, with torn rubber snapping outward and his hands reflexively rising toward his ears.
Etymology

Bang may imitate a blow's sound directly or come from a Scandinavian word with the same sound-imitating basis. The noun first named a heavy, resounding blow, then the sudden loud noise itself.

In context

LibriVox Audiobooks148:30
Bang! Like a big drum being struck. Swish, rip, a sighing whistle, a noise, or rather a shriek like the tearing of some gigantic piece of canvas.
Everyman at War. Sixty Personal Narratives of the War by Charles B. Purdom Part 1/3 | Audio Book

More examples

  • The screen door bangs shut behind me.
  • Bang! A firework explodes overhead.
  • We hear a loud bang from the kitchen.

Forms

bang · bangs · banged · banging

Similar words

pop
Usually a shorter, lighter explosive sound than a bang.
crash
Suggests a noisy collision, often with something breaking.
boom
A deeper, more resonant sound than a sharp bang.