💥 Suddenly and loudly 🎬 Loud and energetic

slam-bang

8.6

In a sudden, loud, and forceful way

idiom
/slæm bæŋ/

Informal

: de manera violenta

The door shut slam-bang, startling everyone in the room.

Examples

He fell down the stairs slam-bang!
He arrived slam-bang in the middle of dinner, making quite an entrance.
The books fell slam-bang onto the floor, echoing through the house.
The door opened slam-bang as the wind blew.
The car came to a stop with a slam-bang sound as it collided with the wall.
He threw the door open slam-bang, startling everyone in the room.
She jumped out of the car slam-bang after the engine backfired loudly.

Synonyms

explosively

vsslam-bang

5 4.4

To do something very suddenly and with great force

is sudden and noisy but may be less intensely powerful than that

slap-bang

vsslam-bang

8.5

Suddenly and loudly, causing a strong hit and surprise

is sudden and forceful but more general, not only focused on impact

crashingly

vsslam-bang

6.8

Very suddenly with a loud bang

is sudden and forceful but not always linked to a loud collision sound

joltingly

vsslam-bang

7.8

In a sudden, rough way that shocks or surprises

is violent, noisy, and forceful rather than mainly causing surprise or shock

Antonyms

calmly

110 1.0

In a calm, steady way without showing anger or nervousness

softly

95 1.0

In a gentle, light way using little force

How Forceful

violently

107 3.5

slam-bang

Informal

8.6

forcefully

49 3.5

firmly

92 1.0

gently

372 1.0

Surface Forms

slam-bang positive

Morphology

slam-bang = slam + bang (transparent) = slam + bang

Meaning is a straightforward combination of 'slam' (forceful strike) and 'bang' (loud noise), so learners can derive the sense.

Etymology

Slam-bang comes from the two loud words slam and bang, each meaning a sudden 'hit' or noise, so picture someone arriving with a door slam and a loud bang. That's why to do something slam-bang is to do it in a 'sudden' and 'noisy' way.