1 B2 informal
To keep firing a gun or shooting repeatedly.
"The soldiers banged away at the advancing troops until they ran out of ammunition."
inseparable
bang away
B2 informal inseparable intransitive
To continue doing something persistently, noisily, or energetically, especially shooting, typing, or working.
In plain English
To keep doing something repeatedly and with a lot of energy or noise.
What does "bang away" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
To type or hit keys on a keyboard loudly and persistently.
"She banged away at her laptop all night trying to finish the essay."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To work on something persistently and energetically over a period of time.
"He's been banging away at that research proposal for weeks."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To keep banging in an outward direction — the literal sense (continuous striking) underlies the idiomatic use.
Actually means
To keep doing something repeatedly and with a lot of energy or noise.
Usage tip
Can be used in shooting contexts (keep firing), typing contexts (typing loudly), or as a general idiom for persistent effort. The preposition 'at' often follows: 'bang away at something.'
Words that pair with "bang away"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
keyboard typewriter gun problem task piano
How to conjugate "bang away"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
bang away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bangs away
he/she/it
Past simple
banged away
yesterday
Past participle
banged away
have + pp
-ing form
banging away
continuous
Hear "bang away" in the wild
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Other ways to say "bang away"
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