dunked; dunking; dunks
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
Synonyms
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
Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
Davis only played the first quarter of Sunday’s 127-117 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves after Kyle Anderson hit Davis on the left eye with his forearm on a Davis putback dunk with 25 seconds left in the quarter.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 2024
The Huskies have established an 11-point lead with 14 minutes remaining and had a lead as large as 13.
Samson Johnson of the Connecticut Huskies dunks the ball in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers in Glendale, Ariz., on Monday.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Gardner, a super-athletic forward who dunked over former USC quarterback Caleb Williams at the team’s preseason rally, has yet to announce his decision.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Samson Johnson #35 of the Connecticut Huskies dunks the ball with Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers defending during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Reid Park Zoo officials shared the video of the elephant calf dunking her trunk into a mud puddle and then rolling around in the muddy water on Saturday, March 23.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
The starting group began the third quarter poorly; after a Butler three-point play to begin the second half, New Orleans unleashed an 11-0 run capped by a Zion Williamson dunk.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024
At the table, grab a warm flatbread and get to dunking.
—David Tanis, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
Camden Heide of the Purdue Boilermakers, No. 23, dunks in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies in Glendale, Ariz., on Monday.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Two of the blocks came in the opening three possessions, and Alabama was reluctant to venture near the rim after that, missing nine of 15 layups and managing just a single dunk (UConn had seven).
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Carter won the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk contest, regarded as one of the most iconic dunk contests in NBA history.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Then Curry found a wide-open Kevon Looney underneath for a dunk, busting Miami’s zone and putting the Warriors up 14.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The dunk, which for Reaves’ sake, got outdone by Anthony Edwards in Utah, triggered an 11-2 start for Atlanta, a quick, sudden wake-up call.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
While made famous in basketball—Dominique Wilkins won the NBA dunk contest wearing the shoes in 1990 and Dee Brown famously stooped down to pump his shoes before his winning dunk during the 1991 iteration of the event—Chang gave the Reebok Pump its own tennis moment during the 1990 French Open.
—Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
So does hitting the trampoline at the correct moment while a basketball is hovering in the air, waiting to be snatched up and thrown down in an acrobatic dunk.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
And Francesco Molinari dunked a ball in 2019 to give Tiger Woods an opening.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
Davis only played the first quarter of Sunday’s 127-117 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves after Kyle Anderson hit Davis on the left eye with his forearm on a Davis putback dunk with 25 seconds left in the quarter.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 2024
The Huskies have established an 11-point lead with 14 minutes remaining and had a lead as large as 13.
Samson Johnson of the Connecticut Huskies dunks the ball in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers in Glendale, Ariz., on Monday.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Gardner, a super-athletic forward who dunked over former USC quarterback Caleb Williams at the team’s preseason rally, has yet to announce his decision.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Samson Johnson #35 of the Connecticut Huskies dunks the ball with Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers defending during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Reid Park Zoo officials shared the video of the elephant calf dunking her trunk into a mud puddle and then rolling around in the muddy water on Saturday, March 23.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
The starting group began the third quarter poorly; after a Butler three-point play to begin the second half, New Orleans unleashed an 11-0 run capped by a Zion Williamson dunk.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024
At the table, grab a warm flatbread and get to dunking.
—David Tanis, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
The Kings got within seven on a breakaway dunk by Fox before McCollum hit back-to-back 3s to put the Pelicans up 47-34.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
Camden Heide of the Purdue Boilermakers, No. 23, dunks in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies in Glendale, Ariz., on Monday.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Two of the blocks came in the opening three possessions, and Alabama was reluctant to venture near the rim after that, missing nine of 15 layups and managing just a single dunk (UConn had seven).
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Carter won the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk contest, regarded as one of the most iconic dunk contests in NBA history.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Then Curry found a wide-open Kevon Looney underneath for a dunk, busting Miami’s zone and putting the Warriors up 14.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The dunk, which for Reaves’ sake, got outdone by Anthony Edwards in Utah, triggered an 11-2 start for Atlanta, a quick, sudden wake-up call.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
While made famous in basketball—Dominique Wilkins won the NBA dunk contest wearing the shoes in 1990 and Dee Brown famously stooped down to pump his shoes before his winning dunk during the 1991 iteration of the event—Chang gave the Reebok Pump its own tennis moment during the 1990 French Open.
—Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
So does hitting the trampoline at the correct moment while a basketball is hovering in the air, waiting to be snatched up and thrown down in an acrobatic dunk.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dunk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dunk. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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