Idiom
Bang for your buck
Bang for your buck means good value: getting a lot of benefit or quality for the money or effort you spend.
How people use it
People usually say get more bang for your buck or the best bang for the buck: frozen vegetables give you more bang for your buck. It fits shopping, travel, school choices, business spending and even effort (which exercise gives the most bang for your buck?). Buck is informal American slang for a dollar, so the phrase is informal and mainly American, though it is widely understood.
Also said: bang for the buck, more bang for your buck.
Examples
- This used laptop gives you more bang for your buck than the new one.
- If you want the most bang for your buck, travel in the off season.
- The museum pass offers great bang for the buck if you visit three places.
Where it comes from
It became widely known in the 1950s, when US defense officials used "more bang for the buck" to describe getting more military firepower for the money spent. Bang stood for the force of the weapons and buck for a dollar. The phrase soon spread to everyday talk about value.
Check yourself
1. What does "more bang for your buck" mean?
Answer: Better value for your money. The idiom is about getting more benefit for what you spend.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Buying in bulk gives our family more bang for our buck.. The idiom means good value, so an overpriced tiny meal does not fit.
Word game fan? See every word hiding in BUCK.