dunking

American

[duhng-king] / ˈdʌŋ kɪŋ /

noun

the action of plunging or being plunged into water or other liquid.

Learning to canoe cost her several dunkings.

Etymology

Origin of dunking

First recorded in 1915–20; dunk + -ing ¹

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.

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

“It’s kind of like watching LeBron still dunking at 40,” Maynard said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025

I try to picture Mr. Gore dunking and the little movie I create in my mind makes me laugh.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023