dunk

1 of 2

verb

ˈdəŋk 

dunked; dunking; dunks

transitive verb

1

: to dip (something, such as a piece of bread) into a beverage while eating

2

: to dip or submerge temporarily in liquid

3

: to throw (a basketball) into the basket from above the rim see also dunk on

intransitive verb

1

: to submerge oneself in water

2

: to make a dunk shot in basketball

dunk

2 of 2

noun

: the act or action of dunking

especially : dunk shot

Synonyms

Verb

• dip
• douse
• dowse
• duck
• immerse
• sop
• souse
• submerge
• submerse

Examples of dunk in a Sentence

Verb

I like to dunk my doughnut in my coffee.

She dunked him while they were swimming.

He dunked the ladle into the soup.

He could dunk when he was 16.

Noun

The pass led to a dunk.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The occasional hardcore enthusiast hopped into the tub and dunked their head with nary a screech. —Kathleen St. John, The Denver Post, 12 June 2024

This unique appetizer recipe soaks watermelon in a zesty marinade of lime, red wine vinegar, and chili sauce before dunking into a cayenne pepper-and-IPA batter. —Ryan Burke, Southern Living, 5 June 2024

Noun

Framed photos of his state title teams, signed balls, hats, a blue-and-orange No. 32 jersey, plaques and a snapshot of Kidd’s then-signature two-handed dunk. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024

Then Brown converted another one of his steals into a dunk. —Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Pennsylvania German dunke, from Middle High German dunken, from Old High German dunkōn — more at tinge

First Known Use

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1944, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dunk

• dunk on
• dunk shot

Kids Definition

dunk

verb

ˈdəŋk

1

: to dip (as a doughnut) into liquid (as coffee)

2

: to plunge oneself into water