Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

slam dunk

noun

Definition of slam dunk

  1. 1 :  dunk shot

  2. 2 :  sure thing the case is a slam dunk

slam–dunk

play \ˈslam-ˈdəŋk\ verb

See slam dunk defined for English-language learners

See slam dunk defined for kids

Read the Latest from M-W

wilt-chamberlain-1967
'Hoopster', 'Playmaker', and 8 More Words from Basketball
alt-59973139034d4
Trending: 'Svengali' Bannon leaving White House
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
a-woman-waits-at-the-end-of-a-gloomy-pier-does-she-wait-for-charon-the-ferryman-to-the-underworld-it-is-dark-but-she-carries-a-parasol
Vocabulary Thrives in Darkness

Examples of slam dunk in a Sentence

  1. The vote proved to be a slam dunk for our side with a 24 to 5 win.

  2. There's no doubt that he's guilty. The case is a slam dunk.

First Known Use of slam dunk

1972

slam dunk Synonyms

Synonyms
cinch, lock, shoo-in, sure thing
Related Words
certainty, inevitability; eventuality; foregone conclusion
Near Antonyms
dark horse, long shot

SLAM DUNK Defined for English Language Learners

slam dunk

noun

Definition of slam dunk for English Language Learners

  • : something that is sure to happen or be successful

Learn More about slam dunk

  1. See words that rhyme with slam dunk Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for slam dunk Spanish Central: Translation of slam dunk

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up slam dunk? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

nobby

play

cleverly stylish

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. Svengali 'A person who manipulates'

  2. syzygy An obscure astronomy term goes mainstream

  3. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  4. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  5. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

slam dunk

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-599ca1388698f
Drawing a Conclusion About "Sketchy"

How did "sketchy" come to describe creeps?

2-pairs-of-scissors
What's the Singular of 'Scissors'?

A tricky, double-edged word origin.

a-woman-waits-at-the-end-of-a-gloomy-pier-does-she-wait-for-charon-the-ferryman-to-the-underworld-it-is-dark-but-she-carries-a-parasol
Great Words for Twilight and Darkness

Words for the goth in all of us

bunch-of-yellow-balloons-lit-by-the-sun
Helium: This Word Brought to You by a Solar Eclipse

And by the Sun, with some help from Greek.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: slam dunk in a Sentence