slammed; slamming
1
: to shut forcibly and noisily : bang
2
a
: to set or slap down violently or noisily
slammed down the phone
b
: to propel, thrust, or produce by or as if by striking hard
slam on the brakes
slammed the car into a wall
3
: to strike or beat hard : knock
4
: to criticize harshly
1
: to make a banging noise
2
: to function (as in moving) with emphatic and usually noisy vigor
the hurricane slammed into the coast
slammed out of the room
3
: to utter verbal abuse or harsh criticism
1
a
: a noisy violent closing
b
: a banging noise
especially
: one made by the slam of a door
2
: a heavy blow or impact
3
: a poetry competition performed before judges
4
: a cutting or violent criticism
5
: slammer
1
2
Synonyms
Verb
Noun (1)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Examples of slam in a Sentence
Verb
He slammed the door in my face.
She slammed the drawer shut.
He stepped inside and let the door slam behind him.
In her anger, she slammed the ball against the fence.
The car slid on the ice and slammed into a tree.
Her arm slammed against the table.
Noun (1)
gave the stubborn nail one last slam with the hammer
shut the door with a loud slam
sported a gang tattoo on his arm that had gotten him plenty of respect in the slam
the sudden slam of my head against the trunk of the car
Recent Examples on the Web
Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 14 May 2024
Greyson Glorieux slammed a ball down the line in serve receive to close it out.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
Democratic mega-donor and Hollywood media mogul Haim Saban slammed President Biden’s decision to put a shipment of weapons to Israel on hold because they could be used in an offensive against a densely populated city in southern Gaza.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is warning that a series of solar flares will slam into the Earth over the next few hours and days, potentially disrupting communications and navigation, triggering power outages, and damaging satellites.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 10 May 2024
Saade, who is half-Palestinian, had previously slammed the EBU’s decision to ban Palestinian flags from the arena, alongside the flags of non-competing nations.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Through the day and into the evening, meteorologists anticipate multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms to slam the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Something in me broke open, then just as quickly slammed shut.
—Rebecca Gummere, TIME, 8 May 2024
Continue reading … 'AMERICAN CITIZENS ONLY' – Top GOP lawmaker slams DC for encouraging noncitizen voting.
—Fox News, 7 May 2024
Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Wiggins aggressively got downhill to answer a Franz Wagner whirling finish, then Moody followed up a miss for a putback slam.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Shohei Ohtani singled twice, drove in a run and walked ahead of Freeman’s slam.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Located in a former mayonnaise factory, and famous for its sunken reflecting pool, Galapagos Art Space attracts crowds who might encounter a poetry slam or a musician blowing into a didgeridoo.
—New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024
When East can’t ruff, South returns a trump to his hand and runs the diamonds to make the slam.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
The slam was so powerful that both players were left feeling the effects of it in the immediate aftermath.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
The reigning national player of the year shook off 3-of-9 shooting in the first half by moving closer to the basket with three dunks, the last slam pushing Purdue ahead 57-55 with 12:27 remaining.
—Phillip B. Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024
The teams traded turnovers before Martin finished the game with a monster slam, his fifth of the game, off an inbounds pass with 10 seconds to play.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Meanwhile, Jewish organizations slammed the agreement in strong terms.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 14 May 2024
Greyson Glorieux slammed a ball down the line in serve receive to close it out.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
Democratic mega-donor and Hollywood media mogul Haim Saban slammed President Biden’s decision to put a shipment of weapons to Israel on hold because they could be used in an offensive against a densely populated city in southern Gaza.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is warning that a series of solar flares will slam into the Earth over the next few hours and days, potentially disrupting communications and navigation, triggering power outages, and damaging satellites.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 10 May 2024
Saade, who is half-Palestinian, had previously slammed the EBU’s decision to ban Palestinian flags from the arena, alongside the flags of non-competing nations.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Through the day and into the evening, meteorologists anticipate multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms to slam the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Something in me broke open, then just as quickly slammed shut.
—Rebecca Gummere, TIME, 8 May 2024
Continue reading … 'AMERICAN CITIZENS ONLY' – Top GOP lawmaker slams DC for encouraging noncitizen voting.
—Fox News, 7 May 2024
Noun
Chicago South Side native Mari Zavala raised her eyes at the shining red giant that spits out packets of ketchup with a slam of your hand.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Wiggins aggressively got downhill to answer a Franz Wagner whirling finish, then Moody followed up a miss for a putback slam.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Shohei Ohtani singled twice, drove in a run and walked ahead of Freeman’s slam.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Located in a former mayonnaise factory, and famous for its sunken reflecting pool, Galapagos Art Space attracts crowds who might encounter a poetry slam or a musician blowing into a didgeridoo.
—New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024
When East can’t ruff, South returns a trump to his hand and runs the diamonds to make the slam.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
The slam was so powerful that both players were left feeling the effects of it in the immediate aftermath.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
The reigning national player of the year shook off 3-of-9 shooting in the first half by moving closer to the basket with three dunks, the last slam pushing Purdue ahead 57-55 with 12:27 remaining.
—Phillip B. Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024
The teams traded turnovers before Martin finished the game with a monster slam, his fifth of the game, off an inbounds pass with 10 seconds to play.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near slam
Cite this Entry
“Slam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slam. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
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