1 B1 informal
To damage something or injure someone, especially through a careless impact.
"He banged up his knee pretty badly when he fell off the bike."
separable
bang up
B1 informal separable transitive
To damage something or someone through impact; in British slang, to imprison; used as an adjective meaning excellent.
In plain English
To hurt or damage something by hitting it; to put someone in prison; or (as an adjective) really great.
What does "bang up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic slang
(British slang) To imprison someone; to lock someone in a cell.
"The judge decided to bang him up for three years."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
(Adjective, North American, dated) Excellent; first-rate.
"That was a bang-up job you did on the presentation."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To strike something upward or into a higher state — the idiomatic leap is to the resulting damage or confinement.
Actually means
To hurt or damage something by hitting it; to put someone in prison; or (as an adjective) really great.
Usage tip
The 'damage' sense is common in American English. The 'imprison' sense is British slang. The adjective 'bang-up' meaning excellent is chiefly North American and somewhat old-fashioned. All senses are informal.
Words that pair with "bang up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
car knee face prisoner job mess
How to conjugate "bang up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
bang up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bangs up
he/she/it
Past simple
banged up
yesterday
Past participle
banged up
have + pp
-ing form
banging up
continuous
Hear "bang up" in the wild
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