Meaning & use
prang
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableinformalBritish
A minor accident in which a vehicle, especially a car, is damaged.
Grammar: Often used with have: have a prang.
Patterns
- have a prang
- a prang in something
Dad had a small prang in the supermarket car park.
The insurance covered the cost of the prang.
It was only a prang, but the bumper needed replacing.
verbtransitiveinformalBritish
To damage a car or aircraft in a crash or collision.
Grammar: Takes an object: prang the car.
Patterns
- prang something
She pranged her brother's car on the way home.
He pranged the van reversing out of the drive.
If you prang it, you pay for the repairs.
Word forms
| third person singular | prangs |
|---|---|
| past tense | pranged |
| past participle | pranged |
| -ing form | pranging |
| plural | prangs |
Common combinations
- have a prang
- I had a prang on the way to work.
- a minor prang
- It was just a minor prang, nobody was hurt.
- prang the car
- He pranged the car on his first day of driving.
- a car park prang
- A car park prang left a dent in the door.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fender bender
- Fender bender is the American equivalent, equally casual and equally about a small car accident.
- bump
- Bump is milder and can be a light touch, while a prang usually causes some damage.
- crash
- Crash is more neutral and can mean something far more serious than a prang.
Word family
- pranged adjective
- damaged in a crash
- pranging verb
- the -ing form, crashing a vehicle
- prangs noun
- plural, minor accidents
Commonly confused: prang or prank?
prang vs prank
A prank is a harmless trick played on someone. A prang is a small vehicle accident.
Practice
Luckily, it was only a small ___ and nobody was hurt.
Choose one answer.
A prang is a minor vehicle accident. A prank is a joke, which does not fit with damage and injury.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “prang”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.