dunk
Americanverb (used with object)
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to dip (a doughnut, cake, etc.) into coffee, milk, or the like, before eating.
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to submerge in a liquid.
She dunked the curtains in the dye.
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Basketball. to attempt to thrust (a ball) through the basket using a dunk shot.
verb (used without object)
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to dip or submerge something, oneself, etc., in a liquid.
She thinks it's vulgar to dunk. Let's dunk in the pool before dinner.
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Basketball. to execute or attempt a dunk shot.
noun
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any flavorful sauce, dip, gravy, etc., into which portions of food are dipped before eating.
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Basketball. dunk shot.
verb
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to dip (bread, etc) in tea, soup, etc, before eating
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to submerge or be submerged in liquid
Usage
What does dunk mean? Dunk means to dip or submerge something in liquid or something like a liquid. More specifically, it can refer to dipping foods into liquids or sauces or dips, like dunking a doughnut into coffee before eating it (but not for so long that it gets too soggy and part of it falls in—it’s a delicate process). In basketball, to dunk is to put the ball directly into the hoop, especially forcefully (this kind of dunking is the opposite of delicate). Such a shot is called a dunk or a slam-dunk or a slam or a jam or a stuff or a throw-down (or even more colorful names, if you’re Darryl Dawkins). Example: I like to dunk my fries into the milkshake—don’t knock it till you try it.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have dunkedperfect
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has dunkedperfect 3rd person singular
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is dunkingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been dunkingperfect progressive
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has been dunkingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are dunkingprogressive
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dunkssingular 3rd person
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am dunkingprogressive 1st person singular
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dunkingparticiple
Past
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had dunkedperfect
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was dunkingprogressive singular
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were dunkingprogressive plural
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had been dunkingperfect progressive
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dunkedsimple
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dunkedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of dunk
An Americanism first recorded in 1865–70; from Pennsylvania Dutch dunke “to dip, immerse”; compare German tunken, Middle High German dunken, tunken, Old High German thunkōn, dunkōn
Vocabulary lists containing dunk
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At another, he stretched out his full 8-foot wingspan to swat away a put-back dunk attempt.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
But Chet Holmgren scored on a dunk for a 111-110 Thunder lead with 32.8 seconds left.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Vanderbilt tried to block a dunk by Holmgren, but instead hit hand on the backboard and went down in pain.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
Sengun appeared to punctuate the season-saving win with a one-handed dunk over James with 40.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
Ms. Simon from school was in the dunk tank.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
