grand slam

American  

[grand slam] / ˈgrænd ˈslæm /

noun

grand slams plural

1. Bridge. the winning of all thirteen tricks of a deal.

2. Baseball. Also grand-slammer. a home run with three runners on base.

3. Sports. the winning by a single player of several designated major championship contests in one season, as in golf or tennis.

4. any sweeping success or total victory.

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grand slam British  

noun

1. bridge the winning of 13 tricks by one player or side or the contract to do so

2. tennis golf

   1. the winning of all major competitions in a season, esp in tennis and golf

   2. one of the 4 major competitions in a season in tennis

3. (often capital) rugby Union the winning of all five games in the annual Six Nations Championship involving England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy Compare triple crown

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grand slam Idioms  

1. A sweeping success or total victory, as in This presentation gave us a grand slam—every buyer placed an order. This term originated in the early 1800s in the card game of whist (forerunner of contract bridge), where it refers to the taking of all thirteen tricks. It later was extended to bridge and various sports, where it has different meanings: in baseball, a home run hit with runners on all the bases, resulting in four runs for the team; in tennis, winning all four national championships in a single calendar year; in golf, winning all four major championships. In the 1990s the term was used for four related proposals presented on a ballot at once.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grand slams
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grand slam

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grand slam

Josh Lowe’s first career grand slam was all the offense the Angels needed Sunday in a 4-1 victory over the Athletics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

The tennis grass-court season zips by faster than a pro’s serve, occupying only a few weeks in June after the Roland Garros grand slam in Paris and culminating at Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

Whittier Christian 11, St. Paul 8: A grand slam by Danni Lopez in the seventh powered the Heralds to victory in a Division 2 semifinal game.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026

La Habra 6, Murrieta Mesa 4: Rylee Gruener hit a grand slam during a five-run inning to enable La Habra to eliminate top-seeded Murrieta Mesa in the Division I playoffs.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026

I couldn’t believe that the same kids who laughed at me and called me stupid were now cheering for me as I hit a grand slam in the Little League World Series.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Related Words

• accomplishment
• achievement
• advance
• benefit
• boom
• fame
• gain
• happiness
• profit
• progress
• prosperity
• realization
• triumph
• victory
• win