grand slam

noun

1

baseball : a home run hit with the bases loaded

… the Dodgers' Eric Karros has a shot to become the first player in history to get 200 career home runs without a grand slam.

—Tim Kurkjian

2

a usually Grand Slam

(1)

: the winning of all four of the most significant championships in a particular sport in the same year

—used especially in tennis and golf

… with … Nadal spoiling Federer's bid for the Grand Slam by beating him on the clay at the French Open.

—Sean Gregory

"And so to St. Andrews to begin the quest for the Grand Slam," he [Bobby Jones] wrote.

—Dave Anderson

also : the winning of all four such championships during the course of one's career

Woods … could become the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam, at age 24.

—Clifton Brown

(2)

: one of the championships that comprise a Grand Slam : major entry 2 sense 6

"Last year she was a little hungrier," says Davenport's coach, Robert Van't Hof. "She hadn't won a Grand Slam yet."

—Diane K. Shah

—often used before another noun

a Grand Slam event/tournament

Graf was 17 when she won the first of her 21 Grand Slam titles here in 1987 …

—Robin Finn

b

: a clean sweep or total success

3

: the winning of all the tricks in one hand of a card game (such as bridge)

Once, looking over Grace's shoulder, I saw her make a grand slam in clubs when the highest trump card in her hand was the nine.

—William Maxwell

Example Sentences

He made a grand slam.

Recent Examples on the Web

Carrier-Damon, 38, told USA TODAY that during a recent game Felix hit his first home run – and then a grand slam. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022

Adding Durant would be a grand slam. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 July 2022

India went 3-for-4 with a single, a double and his first career grand slam. —Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 26 July 2022

Enter Email Sign Up With the count 2-1, Devers displayed his unique ability to get to any pitch, staying on a 85 mile-per-hour sinker running low and away and tagging it for a grand slam to left field. —Julian Mcwilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023

Vikings catcher Kaitlyn Moses was at the plate with one ball and no strikes when Southeastern’s worst fear came true: Moses hit a towering ball over the fence for a go-ahead grand slam. —Seth Carnell, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023

His seventh-inning grand slam broke a 4-4 tie. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2023

Guerra caught a major break when a drive to right off the bat of Yan Gomes fell just short of going for a grand slam. —Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2023

Travis Bazzana belted a grand slam and Oregon State also got homers from Garret Forrester and Brady Kasper as the Beavers swept a Pac-12 baseball doubleheader against Washington on Saturday at Husky Ballpark in Seattle. —oregonlive, 1 Apr. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

grand slam

noun

: a home run hit with three runners on base