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View synonyms for slam dunk

slam dunk

1

noun

  1. Basketball.,  a particularly forceful, often dramatic dunk shot.

  2. Slang.,  something regarded as certain to occur or be accomplished, typically something desirable that requires little further effort.

    The election is starting to look like a slam dunk for our side.



slam-dunk

2

[slam-duhngk]

verb (used with object)

  1. Basketball.,  to dunk (the ball) with great force.

slam dunk

noun

  1. basketball a scoring shot in which a player jumps up and forces the ball down through the basket

  2. informal,  a task so easy that success in it is deemed a certainty

“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

verb

  1. basketball to jump up and force (a ball) through a basket

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • slam dunker noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of slam dunk1

First recorded in 1975–80
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Idioms and Phrases

A forceful, dramatic move, as in That indictment was a slam dunk if ever there was one. This expression is also often put as a verb, slam-dunk, meaning “make a forceful move against someone,” as in This is a great chance for us to slam-dunk the opposition. The idiom comes from basketball, where it refers to a dramatic shot in which the ball is thrust into the basket from above the rim. It was transferred to other activities from about 1980 on.
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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.

Security officials at the time said the case was a slam dunk, alluding to reams of compromising communications between the two men.

At the start of the weekend, that looked like a slam dunk.

Read more on BBC

Granted, there’s the natural compulsion to find something positive in a project that should have been a slam dunk for Bell, an actor most people deeply enjoy.

Read more on Salon

Brennan’s longtime coverage of Clark’s career makes this book a slam dunk.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

James hasn’t signed on for next season yet, and maybe this change of ownership changes what once appeared to be a slam dunk.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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