slammed; slamming
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
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
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
: slammer
1
2
Synonyms
Verb
Noun (1)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
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
Raja Razek, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
McCrimmon’s Fanny, by contrast, has the hectic air of a jobbing performer, a scrapper more than a sure thing, one who learned to talk as fast as humanly possible before the door slams in her face.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
By the end of the episode, however, the mission has pushed Burnham and her crew to their limits, including slamming the USS Discovery into the path of a massive landslide threatening a nearby city.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Only a handful of injuries have been reported so far, with 10 being the highest injury count so far in a single place after storms slammed Jeffersonville, Indiana, overnight.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
The Riverside Republican slammed Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and other groups while advocating for Assembly Bill 3037 during an Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
At 6:18 am on Tuesday, a car slammed through the front window of Workout Anytime, a gym located in a mall in East Plano, Texas.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
The massive ship stacked with cargo slammed into the bridge in the predawn darkness Tuesday, toppling the span and killing six construction workers.
—Joshua Goodman and Richard Lardner, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Continue reading … ‘MESSAGE OF WEAKNESS’ – Former Navy SEAL, Senate candidate slams Biden's 'very poorly' executed Afghanistan withdrawal.
—Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Shohei Ohtani singled twice, drove in a run and walked ahead of Freeman’s slam.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Located in a former mayonnaise factory, and famous for its sunken reflecting pool, Galapagos Art Space attracts crowds who might encounter a poetry slam or a musician blowing into a didgeridoo.
—New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024
When East can’t ruff, South returns a trump to his hand and runs the diamonds to make the slam.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
The slam was so powerful that both players were left feeling the effects of it in the immediate aftermath.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
The reigning national player of the year shook off 3-of-9 shooting in the first half by moving closer to the basket with three dunks, the last slam pushing Purdue ahead 57-55 with 12:27 remaining.
—Phillip B. Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024
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
Verb
Crews have been working to remove wreckage from the site where a massive cargo ship slammed into the bridge in the early morning hours of March 26, causing the structure to collapse into the channel and killing six construction workers.
—Raja Razek, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
McCrimmon’s Fanny, by contrast, has the hectic air of a jobbing performer, a scrapper more than a sure thing, one who learned to talk as fast as humanly possible before the door slams in her face.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
By the end of the episode, however, the mission has pushed Burnham and her crew to their limits, including slamming the USS Discovery into the path of a massive landslide threatening a nearby city.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Only a handful of injuries have been reported so far, with 10 being the highest injury count so far in a single place after storms slammed Jeffersonville, Indiana, overnight.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
The Riverside Republican slammed Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and other groups while advocating for Assembly Bill 3037 during an Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
At 6:18 am on Tuesday, a car slammed through the front window of Workout Anytime, a gym located in a mall in East Plano, Texas.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
The massive ship stacked with cargo slammed into the bridge in the predawn darkness Tuesday, toppling the span and killing six construction workers.
—Joshua Goodman and Richard Lardner, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Continue reading … ‘MESSAGE OF WEAKNESS’ – Former Navy SEAL, Senate candidate slams Biden's 'very poorly' executed Afghanistan withdrawal.
—Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
Wiggins aggressively got downhill to answer a Franz Wagner whirling finish, then Moody followed up a miss for a putback slam.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Shohei Ohtani singled twice, drove in a run and walked ahead of Freeman’s slam.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Located in a former mayonnaise factory, and famous for its sunken reflecting pool, Galapagos Art Space attracts crowds who might encounter a poetry slam or a musician blowing into a didgeridoo.
—New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024
When East can’t ruff, South returns a trump to his hand and runs the diamonds to make the slam.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
The slam was so powerful that both players were left feeling the effects of it in the immediate aftermath.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
The reigning national player of the year shook off 3-of-9 shooting in the first half by moving closer to the basket with three dunks, the last slam pushing Purdue ahead 57-55 with 12:27 remaining.
—Phillip B. Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024
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
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
Phrases Containing slam
Dictionary Entries Near slam
Cite this Entry
“Slam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slam. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
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 noun1
: 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
Nglish: Translation of slam for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of slam for Arabic Speakers
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