🎯 Exactly in place 💥 With sudden force

slap-bang

8.5

Suddenly and loudly, causing a strong hit and surprise

adverb
/slæp bæŋ/

: de golpe

The ball hit the window slap-bang, cracking the glass instantly.

Examples

The book fell slap-bang on the floor!
He landed slap-bang in the middle of the puddle.
She burst slap-bang into the middle of the meeting, startling everyone.
They arrived slap-bang on time, not a minute late.
She burst slap-bang into the middle of the meeting, startling everyone.
The ball hit the window slap-bang, cracking the glass instantly.
He landed slap-bang in the middle of the puddle.

Synonyms

slam-bang

vsslap-bang

Informal

8.6

In a sudden, loud, and forceful way

is identical in meaning but appears as a different word form

smackingly

vsslap-bang

9.5

In a sharp, loud way like a quick slap

is broader meaning sudden forceful impact rather than only a single sharp hit

Antonyms

quietly

517 1.0

In a quiet way that makes little or no noise

gently

372 1.0

To do something with little force to avoid hurting or making noise

How Forceful

violently

107 3.5

slap-bang

8.5

hard

∞ 1.0

firmly

125 1.0

gently

372 1.0

softly

95 1.0

Surface Forms

slap-bang positive

Morphology

slap-bang = slap + bang (transparent) = slap + bang

The meaning 'sudden, forceful, or noisy' is directly suggested by the literal senses of 'slap' and 'bang', making this sense directly derivable from the parts for learners.

Etymology

Slap-bang comes from the two simple sound words slap 'a quick hit' and bang 'a loud noise'. Because they sound sudden and strong, slap-bang is used for something that happens 'very suddenly' or with a 'loud, strong' impact.