What does bunging mean?
Bunging is the act of sealing a container — most classically a wooden cask — by driving in a bung, the tapered stopper that closes its opening. The term comes from the noun 'bung' and remains a working word of the brewing trade: when a brewer speaks of bunging a cask, they mean sealing it while fermentation still produces carbon dioxide, so the pressure dissolves into the beer and gives it a natural sparkle. By extension, bunging can mean blocking anything up, as one might bung a leaky pipe with cloth. In informal British English, the verb has drifted further: to bung something can simply mean to throw it carelessly somewhere, as in bunging one's coat over a chair. The word carries a sturdy, workshop flavour — unpretentious and practical rather than elegant — and appears most often in descriptions of traditional cellars, breweries, and everyday improvisation.
To seal or stop up a container, especially a cask, with a bung; in brewing, to close a fermenting vessel to retain carbon dioxide and carbonate the contents.
"The cooper was bunging the last of the barrels before the shipment left."
Standard in brewing terminology; elsewhere somewhat old-fashioned.
(Informal, British) To throw or shove something carelessly.
"Just try bunging your laundry in the machine before we leave."
Casual register only.
In traditional brewing, 'bunging' is the craft of trapping a beer's own carbon dioxide inside the cask — the original way brewers made their ale fizz.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bunging
Bunging is the present participle of the verb 'bung', formed from the noun 'bung', meaning a stopper for a cask or hole. The noun entered English in the fifteenth century, but its ultimate origin is uncertain; it may be related to Middle Dutch or Low German words for an appendage or stopper, though this connection is not firmly established. From this practical seafaring and coopering vocabulary grew both the verb meaning 'to seal with a bung' and the looser senses of plugging and careless throwing.
How bunging is actually used
The word derives from 'bung', a noun for a stopper. The sealing sense is standard in brewing contexts; the throwing sense is distinctly informal British slang. In US usage it is largely confined to the brewing trade.
Easily confused with bunging
Banging means striking forcefully or noisily, while bunging means sealing a container with a stopper or, in British slang, throwing something.