Standard Lemma guide

slap-bang

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Directly or immediately.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It was a stormy day and it was slap-bang in the middle of the fair weather season.
  • You'll see the tower slap-bang in front of you when you come out of the station.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

In a violent or sudden or noisy manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

in a violent or sudden or noisy manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the pans fell slam-bang and woke the whole house

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: slam-bang

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

directly or immediately

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it hit slap-bang in the middle

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From slap + bang.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: направо (napravo) — directly
  • Bulgarian: непосредствено (neposredstveno) — directly
  • French: en plein — directly
  • Galician: xusto — directly
  • Galician: xustamente — directly
  • German: unmittelbar — directly
  • Bulgarian: внезапно (vnezapno) — suddenly, immediately
  • Bulgarian: неочаквано (neočakvano) — suddenly, immediately
  • German: ruckzuck — suddenly, immediately
  • German: ratzfatz — suddenly, immediately
  • Bulgarian: шумно (šumno) — violently, noisy
  • Bulgarian: с пълна сила (s pǎlna sila) — violently, noisy
  • German: klatsch-bum — violently, noisy