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1. To strike and damage something. A noun can be used between "bang" and "up." That accident banged up the passenger side door of my car. Be careful with my phone—don't bang the screen up!
2. To hurt someone by striking or otherwise impacting them. I got really banged up in that car accident.
Hurt. Damaged (often from use or wear). A: "So you only have a few bruises? That's wonderful!" B: "I know, I'm so lucky to be only a little banged up from the car accident." Oh, the really banged-up copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, the one that looks like it's about to fall apart? It's mine.
bang someone up
to beat someone up; to assault someone; to damage someone. The crooks banged him up a little bit. The crash banged up the passengers in the car. She banged herself up badly.
bang something up
to crash or wreck something; to damage something. Don't bang my best skillet up! Who banged up my best skillet?
Damage, injure, as in Banging up the car a second time will make Dad very unhappy, or Mother fell down the stairs and was all banged up. The verb to bang alone had this meaning from the 1500s on, up being added in the late 1800s. In the early 1800s it gave rise to the colloquial adjective bang-up, for excellent or very successful, as in David did a bang-up job baking the birthday cake.
To injure or damage someone or something, especially by hitting: The truck banged up my car in the accident. I banged myself up when I fell down the stairs.