dunk

verb \ ˈdəŋk \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of dunk

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

intransitive verb

1 : to submerge oneself in water

2 : to make a dunk shot in basketball

See dunk defined for English-language learners

See dunk defined for kids

Examples of dunk in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of dunk from the Web

Meanwhile, Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist picked up the loose ball and dunked, and Lance didn't notice.

— scott horner, Indianapolis Star, "Lance Stephenson pulls off a most Lance Stephenson play," 10 Apr. 2018
Biyombo caught the ball, elevated and dunked, giving Ross an assist.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Terrence Ross returns as Magic lose to Raptors 112-101," 9 Apr. 2018
Hunter Pence dunked a single to shallow right-center, advancing Posey to third with one out.

— mike digiovanna, latimes.com, "Kershaw wobbles, but stops Giants in top of fourth," 30 Mar. 2018
Her future UConn teammate Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who dunked in a contest Monday, had eight points and eight rebounds for the East.

— baltimoresun.com, "Smith has 12 points and Quickley eight assists in McDonald's All American boys basketball game," 29 Mar. 2018
Know that leftover wedges, when toasted in the oven, are excellent when dunked in a cup of coffee or tea.

— kara elder, Washington Post, "Put your cast-iron skillet to work for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert," 19 Feb. 2018
Griffin is dunking less, jumping lower, and finishing at a lower rate around the rim.

— kirkland crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons land Blake Griffin: Some like it, others hate trade," 30 Jan. 2018
This rustic cornbread is sturdy and dry and meant to be dunked, like say in this beef chili.

— claire saffitz, Bon Appetit, "Classic Skillet Cornbread," 19 Mar. 2018
Last time something like this happened to Virginia, Gen. Grant dunked on Richmond. ...

— nick canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tiger Woods is back if back holds up, and that’s great news," 17 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dunk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dunk

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1919

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

dunk Synonyms

Synonyms

dip, douse (also dowse), duck, immerse, sop, souse, submerge, submerse;

Related Words

bathe, moisten, soak, steep, wet;

drench, drown, flood;

dive, plunge, thrust;

dunk

noun

Definition of dunk

: the act or action of dunking; especially : dunk shot

See dunk defined for English-language learners

Examples of dunk in a Sentence

The pass led to a dunk.

Recent Examples of dunk from the Web

Known for his thunderous dunks and ability to take over games.

— Detroit Free Press, "Meet the Detroit Free Press All-State boys basketball teams," 15 Apr. 2018
But Turner was the center most often drawing reaction from the crowd with his dunks, giving the Pacers high-percentage shots that helped them avoid scoring droughts.

— clifton brown, Indianapolis Star, "Victor Oladipo puts together absurd statline as Pacers get fifth straight win," 1 Apr. 2018
Gordon had two of them, and his reverse dunk gave Orlando a 101-94 lead with two minutes to play.

— scott bordow, azcentral, "Late rally falls short for free-falling Phoenix Suns in Orlando," 24 Mar. 2018
LeBron James was sensational with 35 points, 14 boards, and one of his all-time great dunks.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "LeBron James' vicious dunk over Jusuf Nurkic causes Cavaliers' bench to explode (video)," 15 Mar. 2018
When Bey finished off his dunk, ASU guard Tra Holder took exception and shoved Bey.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Colorado coach injured himself trying to break up a scuffle with Arizona State," 7 Mar. 2018
His dunk with 4:05 left gave the Royals their biggest lead at 39-33.

— paul johnson, Elgin Courier-News, "Jalen Shaw scores 16 points in second half to lift Larkin past St. Charles North," 3 Mar. 2018
His dunk on a steal and breakaway at the end of the third quarter was met by a thunderous response.

— john maffei, sandiegouniontribune.com, "D-V boys basketball: S.D. Southwest fans hit road for Raiders win," 1 Mar. 2018
Only 90 seconds remained when Crutcher slammed down his third dunk, giving the near-capacity crowd at West Aurora another reason to roar.

— rick armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Jared Crutcher helps buddy Teddy Hernandez put capper on West Aurora's win," 24 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of dunk

circa 1944

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Field and Goal Sports Terms

crease, lateral, lax, overthrow, playbook, post, screen, scrum, secondary, ultimate

DUNK Defined for English Language Learners

dunk

verb

Definition of dunk for English Language Learners

: to dip (food) quickly into a liquid (such as coffee or milk) while eating
: to push (someone or something) under water or other liquid for a short amount of time
basketball : to jump high in the air and push (the ball) down through the basket