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

Examples of grand slam in a Sentence

He made a grand slam.
Recent Examples on the Web Bryce Rainer had two hits and threw two shutout innings of relief. Chaminade 8, Loyola 1: Greg Rangel hit a grand slam to lead the Eagles. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Auction tags get headlines for their eye-popping prices, and as a window into the crazy economy of dedicated wild-sheep hunters, many of whom are on a quest to achieve a grand slam, or killing each of the four subspecies of North American rams. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2024 After walking consecutive batters to load the bases, Romero served up a grand slam to Jorge Polanco that put Seattle ahead for good. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 Aloy hit a third-inning grand slam deep over the wall in left field and Ben McLaughlin followed with a three-run shot as the Razorbacks overcame a two-run deficit with a seven-run inning then held on for a 9-7 win over the University of Central Arkansas on Tuesday. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2024 Although Mike Trout hit a grand slam, the Angels still lost, 12-5, to the Oakland A’s in a split-squad game on Wednesday afternoon in Tempe, Ariz. Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2024 While Sinner was appearing in his first ever grand slam final, Medvedev is already a grand slam champion who was playing in his fourth major final and that disparity in experience initally showed as the Russian controlled the pace of the match with 14 winners and five aces in the first set. Issy Ronald, CNN, 28 Jan. 2024 To secure the grand slam, The Times placed in the top 10 in print portfolio, digital, projects and event coverage. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Canes pinch-hitter Dorian Gonzalez Jr. hit a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth to narrow UF’s lead to 6-4, but the Gators came right back in the ninth with a 2-run homer by Colby Shelton to make it 8-4. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grand slam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of grand slam was in 1800

Dictionary Entries Near grand slam

Cite this Entry

“Grand slam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grand%20slam. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

grand slam

noun
: a home run hit with three runners on base
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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