slam

[ slam ]

/ slæm /

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See synonyms for: slam / slammed / slamming on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object), slammed, slam·ming.

to shut with force and noise: to slam the door.

to dash, strike, knock, thrust, throw, slap down, etc., with violent and noisy impact: He slammed his books upon the table.

Informal. to criticize harshly; attack verbally: He slammed my taste mercilessly.

noun

a violent and noisy closing, dashing, or impact.

the noise so made.

Usually the slam .Slang. slammer (def. 2).

Informal. a harsh criticism; verbal attack: I am sick of your slams.

Informal.

Also called poetry slam . a competitive, usually boisterous poetry reading.
a usually competitive performance involving multiple performers with short acts: puppet slams; a tap dance slam.

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Origin of slam

First recorded in 1650–60; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish slamra “to bang (a door), slam”

OTHER WORDS FROM slam

un·slammed, adjective

Other definitions for slam (2 of 2)

slam²

[ slam ]

/ slæm /

noun Cards.

the winning or bidding of all the tricks or all the tricks but one in a deal.Compare grand slam (def. 1), little slam.

an old type of card game associated with ruff.

Origin of slam

First recorded in 1660–70; perhaps special use of slam¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slam in a sentence

He campaigned and governed in poetry, and we are all the richer for it.
President Cuomo Would’ve Been a Lion|Jonathan Alter|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That may be, but experts say that “similarities” to other attacks is hardly a slam dunk.
FBI Won’t Stop Blaming North Korea for Sony Hack -- Despite New Evidence|Shane Harris|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bar also claims that it hosted the first-ever poetry slam 28 years ago.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the information that the FBI has presented so far strikes many experts as hardly a slam dunk against Pyongyang.
Cyberwar on North Korea Could Be Illegal|Shane Harris|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Its essays, criticism, reportage, and poetry are not “product.”
Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine|Lloyd Grove|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I thought this young man was going to read us some of his poetry; it's too tiresome of him to stop to tell us about his bull-dog.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
Aldhem, an English divine, died; said to have been the first Englishman who cultivated poetry.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
He is the principal writer of Italian jocose poetry, which has ever since retained the name of poesia Bernesca.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
He is described by Calamy as having been a good scholar, and possessing a taste for poetry.
Notes and Queries, Number 177, March 19, 1853|Various
She had heard in books of girls writing poetry, romance, history—gaining fifties and hundreds.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for slam (1 of 3)

slam¹

/ (slæm) /

verb slams, slamming or slammed

to cause (a door or window) to close noisily and with force or (of a door, etc) to close in this way

(tr) to throw (something) down noisily and violently

(tr) slang to criticize harshly

(intr; usually foll by into or out of) informal to go (into or out of a room, etc) in violent haste or anger

(tr) to strike with violent force

(tr) informal to defeat easily

noun

the act or noise of slamming

slang harsh criticism or abuse

Word Origin for slam

C17: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse slamra, Norwegian slemma, Swedish dialect slämma

British Dictionary definitions for slam (2 of 3)

slam²

/ (slæm) /

noun

the winning of all (grand slam) or all but one (little slam or small slam) of the 13 tricks at bridge or whist
the bid to do so in bridgeSee grand slam, little slam

an old card game

Word Origin for slam

C17: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for slam (3 of 3)

slam³

/ (slæm) /

noun

a poetry contest in which entrants compete with each other by reciting their work and are awarded points by the audience

Word Origin for slam

C20: origin unknown

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

slam

Origin of slam

OTHER WORDS FROM slam

Other definitions for slam (2 of 2)

Origin of slam

Words related to slam

How to use slam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slam (1 of 3)

Word Origin for slam

British Dictionary definitions for slam (2 of 3)

Word Origin for slam

British Dictionary definitions for slam (3 of 3)

Word Origin for slam