as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the design team has been banging away at that project for months
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bang away
As several drummers banged away, Vázquez danced near a table and teammates clapped along to the music, including a spirited effort from Royce Lewis.
—
Dan Hayes, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
One of the roadies came out to bang away on the piano, the notes more felt than heard, part of the noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024
The manager demonstrated how to use the rock hammers, and then people got to banging away, trying to find opals in the rock.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024
Norton remembers banging away on his dad’s Smith Corona typewriter in the den.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2023
Show business in all its forms was the family norm for Cassidy, who as a kid often wrote songs while banging away on neighbor Rosemary Clooney’s piano as her kids played basketball with their cousin George Clooney.
—Alicia Dennis, Peoplemag, 22 June 2023
The navy is out there in the channel banging away broadsides.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2023
Dan Hayes, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
One of the roadies came out to bang away on the piano, the notes more felt than heard, part of the noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024
The manager demonstrated how to use the rock hammers, and then people got to banging away, trying to find opals in the rock.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024
Norton remembers banging away on his dad’s Smith Corona typewriter in the den.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2023
Show business in all its forms was the family norm for Cassidy, who as a kid often wrote songs while banging away on neighbor Rosemary Clooney’s piano as her kids played basketball with their cousin George Clooney.
—Alicia Dennis, Peoplemag, 22 June 2023
The navy is out there in the channel banging away broadsides.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bang away
Verb
-
Kansas City’s defense has struggled to stop quarterback runs.—
Sam Farmer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
The group also struggled to find its place in the broader far-right ecosystem, with some chapters cozying up to even more extreme factions like neo-Nazis as others sought legitimacy by seeking alliances with conservative influencers.—
Tess Owen,
WIRED,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
There are no heroes here, just Kidman fully immersing herself in a character for whom every action is an attack, for whom every word is a wheeze, and for whom every movement looks labored.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
3 Jan. 2025
-
It’s been almost a calendar year since the Sixers have seen that Embiid, the one who’s active on both ends of the floor, instead of laboring up and down.—
Tony Jones,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The streamer has spent years striving for the Best Picture title, only to narrowly miss out again and again.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Film dramaturgy, on the other hand, strives for a kind of purity and clarity.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Behind the scenes: The meeting between Waltz and the families in Washington, DC was organized by Nizar Zaka, CEO of Hostage Aid International, an NGO that assists families of hostages and is working closely with senior Trump administration officials.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
19 Jan. 2025
-
Morgan Ortagus, nominated by Mr. Trump as a deputy special presidential envoy to the Middle East, worked as a network contributor for only two months in early 2019.—
Michael M. Grynbaum,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near bang away
Cite this Entry
“Bang away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bang%20away. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share