as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the design team has been banging away at that project for months
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bang away
As several drummers banged away, Vázquez danced near a table and teammates clapped along to the music, including a spirited effort from Royce Lewis.
—
Dan Hayes, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
One of the roadies came out to bang away on the piano, the notes more felt than heard, part of the noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024
The manager demonstrated how to use the rock hammers, and then people got to banging away, trying to find opals in the rock.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024
Norton remembers banging away on his dad’s Smith Corona typewriter in the den.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2023
Show business in all its forms was the family norm for Cassidy, who as a kid often wrote songs while banging away on neighbor Rosemary Clooney’s piano as her kids played basketball with their cousin George Clooney.
—Alicia Dennis, Peoplemag, 22 June 2023
The navy is out there in the channel banging away broadsides.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2023
Dan Hayes, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
One of the roadies came out to bang away on the piano, the notes more felt than heard, part of the noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024
The manager demonstrated how to use the rock hammers, and then people got to banging away, trying to find opals in the rock.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024
Norton remembers banging away on his dad’s Smith Corona typewriter in the den.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2023
Show business in all its forms was the family norm for Cassidy, who as a kid often wrote songs while banging away on neighbor Rosemary Clooney’s piano as her kids played basketball with their cousin George Clooney.
—Alicia Dennis, Peoplemag, 22 June 2023
The navy is out there in the channel banging away broadsides.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bang away
Verb
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Meanwhile, Courtney Eaton is still struggling to accept Lottie’s fate while playing the character’s teen counterpart in the ’90s wilderness.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
28 Feb. 2025
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Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman,wife Betsy Arakawa, found dead in their home Gene Hackman's health struggles: What is angina?—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Ultimately, this post-neoliberal ideology and its adherents did not take tradeoffs seriously enough, laboring under an illusion that previous policymakers were too beholden to economic orthodoxy to make real progress for people.—
Jason Furman,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Feb. 2025
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Employees who labored long hours on a dairy farm were disappointed on payday when their checks showed no overtime pay and was missing compensation for regular hours worked, Minnesota police said.—
Kate Linderman,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Rogers cared deeply about the children his show touched, striving to spread kindness and make the world a better place.—
Makena Gera,
People.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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If errors are made, they will be flagged and corrected as needed, while striving to do what's best for the American people.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Baldwin, who works as a program manager for a nonprofit that holds classes and workshops for seniors, gets small raises sporadically and hasn’t received a bump in two years.—
Paul Davidson,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Flack not only knew of the ballad, but used it while working with a glee club during her years as an educator.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bang away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bang%20away. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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