twang Hear it!

twang Definition

twang (twaŋ)

noun

    1. a quick, sharp, vibrating sound, as of a taut string suddenly plucked or released
    2. an act of plucking that makes this sound
    1. a sharply nasal way of speaking; ringing, nasal quality
    2. a dialect characterized by this
  1. Dialectal a twinge

Etymology: echoic

intransitive verb

  1. to make a twang, as a bowstring, banjo, etc.
  2. to speak with a twang
  3. to be released with a twang: said of an arrow

transitive verb

  1. to cause to twang
  2. to say with a twang
  3. to shoot (an arrow), release (a bowstring), etc. with a twang

twang Related Forms
twangy adjective -·i·er, -·i·est
twang Usage Examples

Object

  • noise: The audience is subject to a series of twanging noises as you desperately tweak the headstock.
  • sound: They are also installing a device which listens for the twanging sound of metal having a mid-life crisis.
  • string: They were probably invented by somebody twanging the string of a hunting bow.

Converse of object

  • have: Some of the utterances including idle have an oral twang to them.
  • hear: I was suddenly and rudely enlightened when I heard the twang of the bow, and saw the arrow flying straight toward me.

Adjective modifier

  • nasal: We boast it like a badge, but don't share the nasal twang which warms this pub to life.
  • slight: Nice laid-back stuff with a slight twang of darkness in the lyrics.
  • northern: After years of voice training the Northern twang is still occasionally perceptible in his voice. * Peter married the actress Sian Phillips in 1959.
  • American: However his main strength could also be viewed as his weakness: that American twang both familiar yet grating.
  • southern: Whenever the British do American accents, it always comes off with a southern twang.
  • Australian: The first thing I had to do was imitate the Australian twang - something that lingers in my voice to this day.

Modifying Another Word

  • away: We would twang away on it and try to get a tune out of it.

Noun used with modifier

  • guitar: The opening western style guitar twang is inappropriate because it sets up expectation of a western like which is then never met.
  • country: He sings this with a country twang, too.
  • weblog: She also writes the popular classical music weblog twang twang twang, which has been the subject of press acclaim all over the world.

Preposition: of

  • guitar: Every twang of the guitar was re-produced incredibly well, drums stopped dead " thwack " !

Browse dictionary entries near twang

  1. twain
  2. twaddle
  3. twa
  4. Tver
  5. TVA
  6. TV dinner
  7. TV
  8. tuyère
  9. Tuxtla
  10. tuxedo
  1. 'twas
  2. twat
  3. twayblade
  4. tweak
  5. twee
  6. tweed
  7. Tweeddale
  8. tweedle
  9. tweedledum and tweedledee
  10. tweedy