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Glite Dictionary
bang on

bang on

3 7.4
Exactly right for a situation or need
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : exactamente
  • Your calculations are bang on; I couldn't have done it better myself.

And his advice was just bang on.

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Examples

  • The forecast predicted rain today, and it was bang on.

  • Your article is bang on!

    Blog text (19)

  • We're bang on schedule, in fact. - Yes.

    Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012)

  • Simon, you are bang on the money with this article!

    Blog text (31)

  • In the past couple of weeks, your posts have been bang on with what my friends and I are feeling!

    Blog text (28)

  • You are bang-on in your assessment of Web 2.0 being the future of education.

    Blog text (11)

  • Well, we're bang on target, Paddy.

    The Russia House (1990)

  • Your earlier correspondents on the topic are bang on.

    Blog text (31)

  • Well said Variety, that's an entertaining and probably bang on review.

    Decoding the Unknown

  • You're bang on about the $33,000 per year, though.

    Blog text (34)

Synonyms

accurate
vsbang on
680 3.0

Exactly correct in every detail

is more idiomatic and used as a brief spoken approval
precise
vsbang on
286 3.6

Exactly correct and clear about small details

is less technical and used more in casual contexts
true
vsbang on
261 1.0

Exactly aimed and hitting the intended point

is more specific, used to praise exact factual correctness
right on
vsbang on
  • Informal
112 7.0

Exactly correct in what someone says

is similar but suits quick factual correctness rather than opinion
spot on
vsbang on
  • UK
42 4.4

Exactly right about a fact or idea

is equally precise but can sound slightly more emphatic or forceful
on the money
vsbang on
  • Informal
31 6.0

Exactly right in what someone says or does

is equally precise but used more as a short emphatic phrase
on the nose
vsbang on
  • Informal
15 5.9

Exactly correct in every detail

is more general, used for simple exactness in many situations
dead-on
vsbang on
  • Informal
8 6.0

Exactly right and very accurate

is more idiomatic and often used for quick approval
dead on
vsbang on
6 4.8

Exactly correct about a fact or answer

is similar but used more flexibly across tones and contexts
right-on
vsbang on
  • UK
5 7.5

Completely correct and in line with modern social values

focuses narrowly on factual exactness rather than social agreement
on the button
vsbang on
1 6.6

Exactly at the right time or moment

is broader, applying to general correctness rather than timing alone
accurate to a hair
vsbang on
  • Informal
8.1

So exact that it leaves no room for error

is precise but usually implies ordinary exactness rather than extreme

Antonyms

wrong
∞ 1.0

Not correct according to the facts or the answer

inaccurate
113 4.3

Not correct or exact, with mistakes

How Accurate

exact
901 3.2
bang on
  • UK
3 7.4
close
∞ 1.0
off
14 3.5
wrong
2 1.0

Surface Forms

bang on positive

Morphology

bang + on

The meaning 'exactly right' is directly derivable from combining 'bang' (given here as an adverbial sense meaning 'exactly') with 'on' (indicating being 'on target' or in the correct position). Although colloquial, the composition follows a transparent logic so learners who know both constituent senses can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The adjective bang on may come from the image of a loud bang landing on a target—like a shot that hits the centre. So bang on means 'exactly right' or 'precisely correct'.