slam

1 of 3

verb

slammed; slamming

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

slam

2 of 3

noun (1)

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

slam

3 of 3

noun (2)

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Continue reading … ‘MESSAGE OF WEAKNESS’ – Former Navy SEAL, Senate candidate slams Biden's 'very poorly' executed Afghanistan withdrawal. Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024 While some praised the Super Bowl spot as a retro attention grabber, Kennedy family members slammed it. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 The North Mecklenburg alum slams a dunk in his hometown, and the crowd loves it. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2024 Scores of people on social media slammed the palace for not paying more generously — especially at a time when all eyes are on Britain’s royal household. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 At a Georgia campaign rally, Trump also slammed Biden's immigration policies and blamed them for her death. USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Difficult road conditions due to the snowstorm that slammed metro Denver Wednesday night and Thursday have forced the suspension of service on bus routes, including the CV and EV routes and the NB route between the Nederland Park-n-Ride stop and Eldora. Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The footage shows a girl slamming the victim’s head into the ground several times. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 The van slammed head-on into a Subaru SUV that was heading south, critically injuring the driver. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
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 All is not lost, though, and this might actually be an inspired moment for a meaningful mic drop, or crushing it at the local poetry slam. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024 The slam, which gave KU an early 25-15 lead, rivals Timberlake’s dunk over Oklahoma State’s Bryce Thompson on Jan. 16 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as one of KU’s most exciting plays of the 2023-24 season. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024 McClung needed an even higher score after four judges gave Brown a 49 and the other one awarded a 50 on his final dunk, a left-handed slam over one person with a Michael Jackson-style sequin glove covering his left hand. Michael Marot, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 Tale of the Tape Soares with the slam @Waldo_ML | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/l5AYTysih0 — Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) February 14, 2024 OU’s excellent at getting easy looks in the paint. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2024 Gene Littler won the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, flirting with the career slam by finishing second in the Masters and PGA Championship. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024 Missi had 17 points with those free throws and three big slams, the last a one-hander early in the game-turning run. Stephen Hawkins, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024 Try 3-5 weight slams while squatting and jumping from each side of the gym. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 6 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian slamre to bang, Swedish slamra to rattle

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1691, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun (1)

1672, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slam was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near slam

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

slam

1 of 2 verb
slammed; slamming
1
: to strike or beat hard
2
: to shut with force and noise : bang
slammed the door
3
: to set or slap down violently or noisily
slammed the books down on the table
4
: to make a banging noise
5
: to criticize harshly

slam

2 of 2 noun
1
: a heavy blow
2
a
: a noisy violent closing
b
: a banging noise especially from the slamming of a door
3
: a cutting or violent criticism

More from Merriam-Webster on slam

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