6 VERB If you bang a part of your body, you accidentally knock it against something and hurt yourself. □ [V n] She'd fainted and banged her head. □ [V n + against/on ] He hurried into the hall, banging his shin against a chair in the darkness. ● N‑COUNT Bang is also a noun. □ …a nasty bang on the head.
7 VERB If you bang into something or someone, you bump or knock them hard, usually because you are not looking where you are going. □ [V + into ] Various men kept banging into me in the narrow corridor.
8 N‑PLURAL Bangs are hair which is cut so that it hangs over your forehead. [AM ] in BRIT, use fringe 9 ADV You can use bang to emphasize expressions that indicate an exact position or an exact time. [EMPHASIS ] □ …bang in the middle of the track. □ For once you leave bang on time for work.
10 → see also big bang theory
11 PHRASE If you say bang goes something, you mean that it is now obvious that it cannot succeed or be achieved. □ There will be more work to do, not less. Bang goes the fantasy of retirement at 35.
12 PHRASE If something begins or ends with a bang , it begins or ends with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, or success. □ Her career began with a bang in 1986.
13 to bang your head against a brick wall → see wall
bang|er /bæ ŋə r / (bangers )
1 N‑COUNT Bangers are sausages. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]
2 N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] You can describe a car as a banger if it is old and in very bad condition. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ …this clapped-out old banger.
3 N‑COUNT Bangers are fireworks that make a lot of noise. [BRIT ]
Bang|la|deshi /bæ ŋgləde ʃi/ (Bangladeshis )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Bangladeshi means belonging to or relating to Bangladesh, or to its people or culture.
2 N‑COUNT The Bangladeshis are the people who come from Bangladesh.
ban|gle /bæ ŋg ə l/ (bangles ) N‑COUNT A bangle is a decorated metal or wooden ring that you can wear round your wrist or ankle.
ba ng-o n also bang on ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If someone is bang-on with something, they are exactly right in their opinions or actions. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ If we are not bang-on with our preparations then we could have problems.
ban|ish /bæ n I ʃ/ (banishes , banishing , banished )
1 VERB If someone or something is banished from a place or area of activity, they are sent away from it and prevented from entering it. □ [be V -ed + from/to ] I was banished to the small bedroom upstairs. □ [V n + from/to ] They tried to banish him from politics.
2 VERB If you banish something unpleasant, you get rid of it. □ [V n] …a public investment programme intended to banish the recession.
3 VERB If you banish the thought of something, you stop thinking about it. □ [V n] He has now banished all thoughts of retirement. □ [be V -ed + from/to ] The past few days had been banished from his mind.
ban|ish|ment /bæ n I ʃmənt/ N‑UNCOUNT Banishment is the act of banishing someone or the state of being banished. □ …banishment to 'Devil's Island'.
ban|is|ter /bæ n I stə r / (banisters ) also bannister N‑COUNT A banister is a rail supported by posts and fixed along the side of a staircase. The plural banisters can be used to refer to one of these rails. □ I still remember sliding down the banisters.
ban|jo /bæ ndʒoʊ/ (banjos ) N‑VAR A banjo is a musical instrument that looks like a guitar with a circular body, a long neck, and four or more strings.
bank
➊ FINANCE AND STORAGE
➋ AREAS AND MASSES
➌ OTHER VERB USES
➊ bank ◆◆◆ /bæ ŋk/ (banks , banking , banked )
1 N‑COUNT A bank is an institution where people or businesses can keep their money. □ Which bank offers you the service that best suits your financial needs? □ I had £10,000 in the bank.
2 N‑COUNT A bank is a building where a bank offers its services.
3 VERB If you bank money, you pay it into a bank. □ [V n] Once the agency has banked your cheque, the process begins.
4 VERB If you bank with a particular bank, you have an account with that bank. □ [V + with ] I've banked with the Co-op for over 20 years.
5 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] You use bank to refer to a store of something. For example, a blood bank is a store of blood that is kept ready for use. □ Detectives examined the syringe for DNA traces and deposited the information in a central data bank.
➋ bank /bæ ŋk/ (banks )
1 N‑COUNT The banks of a river, canal, or lake are the raised areas of ground along its edge. □ [+ of ] …30 miles of new developments along both banks of the Thames. □ [+ of ] …an old warehouse on the banks of a canal.
2 N‑COUNT A bank of ground is a raised area of it with a flat top and one or two sloping sides. □ …resting indolently upon a grassy bank.
3 N‑COUNT A bank of something is a long high mass of it. □ [+ of ] On their journey south they hit a bank of fog off the north-east coast of Scotland.
4 N‑COUNT A bank of things, especially machines, switches, or dials, is a row of them, or a series of rows. □ [+ of ] The typical laborer now sits in front of a bank of dials.