dunk
Americanverb (used with object)
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dunks,
present (3rd person singular)
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dunked,
past participle, past
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dunking
present participle
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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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dunks,
present (3rd person singular)
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dunked,
past participle, past
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dunking
present participle
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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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dunks
plural
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dunksimple
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dunkssimple
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have dunkedperfect
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has dunkedperfect
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am dunkingprogressive
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are dunkingprogressive
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is dunkingprogressive
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have been dunkingperfect progressive
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has been dunkingperfect progressive
Past
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dunkedsimple
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had dunkedperfect
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was dunkingprogressive
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were dunkingprogressive
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had been dunkingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Of course, betting on sports rights isn’t a slam dunk.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
After leading the offense at Baylor, Carr knows his assignment supporting Doncic with the Lakers will be simpler: cut, run and dunk, he said at his introductory news conference.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
During the question and answer section, Forbes said her 2023 leadership bid was initially viewed "as a bit of a slum dunk", adding: "I was very much in the lead."
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
So this Gabelli ETF could get a double boost, a slam dunk from a Knicks win with an assist from the World Cup.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
I asked, realizing that he never thought it could help me dunk by next year.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
The 7-foot-4 superstar didn’t settle for honing his three-point shot or alley-oop dunks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
Rioux dunks without jumping, a feat highlighted by his first college field goal against Saint Francis in December 2025 and a memorable March Madness moment in 2026 with an offensive rebound and put-back dunk.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
From the opening tip, he rose up for 3-pointers, drove to the rim for dunks and leaned back for fadeaway jump shots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
Each of the four competitors are given 90 seconds to complete two dunks — with three attempts per dunk — for a judging panel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
Wiress nods and scampers over to the water’s edge, where she dunks the coil in the water.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Olivier Rioux, of the Florida Gators, dunked late on as his side beat Saint Francis 102-61 on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
He made 142 3-pointers last season, and he dunked only 91 times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Goldin soon dunked on Bilodeau on back-to-back plays, including one in which he knocked Bilodeau to the court and flexed after completing the play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2025
Unfazed, Matteo dunked his arms into the oil and felt around for the bones.
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2024
Rocky dunked his tortilla in the chili beans and kept chewing; he didn’t care what they said.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
After securing victory with a service winner, Sabalenka celebrated by dunking her head in an ice cooler.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026
But the dunking spawned the legend of the "Curse of the Colonel" that said the Tigers would never win another title until the effigy was recovered.
From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025
Pickleball may be everywhere, but it’s continuing to mature as a serious sport, and Waters is its Michael Jordan—if Michael Jordan was dunking on Naismith’s peach baskets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
“You got better. You don’t just get better. Comedy is like sports. Nobody starts dunking at 60 years old.”
From Salon ● May 9, 2025
Meadowlark busies herself next to me, squeezing lemon and dunking her tea bag in and out of the mug of hot water.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
