dunking

American  

[duhng-king] / ˈdʌŋ kɪŋ /

noun

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

   Learning to canoe cost her several dunkings.

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Etymology

Origin of dunking

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

Example Sentences

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

Gene Cao spends six days a week working at a Chinese restaurant near Tampa, Fla., dunking crab rangoons and chicken wings into the fryer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025

He starts each morning by folding his hands in prayer, dunking his face in a sink full of ice water afterward.

From Salon • Sep. 7, 2025

They took me a roundabout way to the fake beach, and then I knew what would happen—a good, old-fashioned dunking in the lake—and I calmed down.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green