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
Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
For the ultimate party-ready finger food experience, pair with bowls of queso, grainy mustard, ranch dressing, and marinara for dunking.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
Turn it into an overstuffed sandwich or tear off in chunks and dunk into soups.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024
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
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
Moments later, Curry found Jackson-Davis for a dunk over Williamson.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
UConn went on its own 7-0 run to extend its advantage to its current size, 55-47, accentuated by a Stephon Castle dunk.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
More than just an elite offensive force, Clark is the first college basketball player to truly capture the attention of the country since Zion Williamson and his thunderous dunks during the 2018-2019 season.
—Lucas Trevor, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The North Mecklenburg alum slams a dunk in his hometown, and the crowd loves it.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2024
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
Verb
For those who also used to complain that the women don’t dunk, diminishing the product: That has made the game more attractive to countless viewers now.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
For the ultimate party-ready finger food experience, pair with bowls of queso, grainy mustard, ranch dressing, and marinara for dunking.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
Turn it into an overstuffed sandwich or tear off in chunks and dunk into soups.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024
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
Noun
Aaron Gordon, Denver’s physical power forward, again was a thorn in their side, beating the Lakers backdoor for easy dunks while collecting five of Denver’s 14 offensive rebounds.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
Moments later, Curry found Jackson-Davis for a dunk over Williamson.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
UConn went on its own 7-0 run to extend its advantage to its current size, 55-47, accentuated by a Stephon Castle dunk.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
More than just an elite offensive force, Clark is the first college basketball player to truly capture the attention of the country since Zion Williamson and his thunderous dunks during the 2018-2019 season.
—Lucas Trevor, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The North Mecklenburg alum slams a dunk in his hometown, and the crowd loves it.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2024
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
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 1 May. 2024.
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