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• slam dunk
  slam dunk

  noun

  a particularly forceful, often dramatic dunk shot.
• slam-dunk
  slam-dunk

  verb (used with object)

  to dunk (the ball) with great force.

slam dunk

¹ American  

noun

slam dunks plural

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.

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slam-dunk ² American  

[slam-duhngk] / ˈslæmˌdʌŋk /

verb (used with object)

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

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slam dunk British  

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

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verb

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

slam dunk Idioms  

1. 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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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• slam dunker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• slam dunks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of slam dunk

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

AT&T remains the title sponsor of the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, which Sprite sponsored for much of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers was among four newcomers named Saturday to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest at next week's NBA All-Star festivities in Los Angeles.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

It’s structured like an NBA Slam Dunk contest, but the competition is between church deacons.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2023

He beat New Orleans Pelicans' Trey Murphy III in the Slam Dunk Contest final, ending with an incredible 540-degree dunk.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2023

Robinson played for eight teams during an 11-year NBA career highlighted by winning three NBA Slam Dunk contests, first in 2006 then back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 17, 2022