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
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.
The first moment is played for comedy: As Dunk readies himself for adventure, the theme begins to swell before cutting to him in a bout of sickness.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
As Dunk and Egg embark on their next journey, the opening bars of “Sixteen Tons,” a 1947 song by Tennessee Ernie Ford, close out the season.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
AT&T remains the title sponsor of the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, which Sprite sponsored for much of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Martin, a self-described romantic, likes to reward characters such as Dunk who perform good deeds without expecting reward.
From Salon • Feb. 25, 2026
"I'm working on the box-girder," said Dunk, feeling called upon to give an account of himself.
From The Boy Scouts of the Air in Indian Land by Stuart, Gordon
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.
