According to Reigen's explanation, ‘he began to bang the table with his fist’ It seems this is a habitual act. ‘he began to bang on the table with his fist’ It is more of a calculated act.

@Reigen - make that an answer and you'll get an upvote.

To bang ON the table means to hit the top of the table. If someone is ON the bed that means that they are on the top portion of the bed. Bang kind of just means hit. So you could hit any part or side of a table but if they use the preposition ON then they are just being a little more precise.

Saying "bang on the table" is for intentionally doing it. "Bang the table" would be more common if I hit it with my foot or if it was an accident. From what I see here, I think the Lexico example would be better if it also said "bang on the table" I hope that helps. It seems like you're doing great with your English!

Hi there! There's not much of a difference. When someone says banged the table, you can assume that he is banging on the table. Bang on, is just more specific. There's also bang against. But in this context, they mean the same thing.