dunk

1 of 2

verb

ˈdəŋk 

dunked; dunking; dunks

transitive verb

1

: to dip (something, such as a piece of bread) into a beverage while eating

2

: to dip or submerge temporarily in liquid

3

: to throw (a basketball) into the basket from above the rim see also dunk on

intransitive verb

1

: to submerge oneself in water

2

: to make a dunk shot in basketball

dunk

2 of 2

noun

: the act or action of dunking

especially : dunk shot

Synonyms

Verb

• dip
• douse
• dowse
• duck
• immerse
• sop
• souse
• submerge
• submerse

Examples of dunk in a Sentence

Verb

I like to dunk my doughnut in my coffee.

She dunked him while they were swimming.

He dunked the ladle into the soup.

He could dunk when he was 16.

Noun

The pass led to a dunk.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The number of QBs making plays with their legs or the amount of dink and dunk passing might be shocking to a fan who time traveled from the 1970s and stumbled into an NFL stadium in 2024. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2024

Flavored with buffalo-style hot sauce, this recipe channels the spirit of buffalo wings dunked in ranch. —Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024

Noun

One of those included a behind-the-head slam from Julian Phillips, who finished a dunk after Dalen Terry stripped the ball off Jaylen Wells at half court. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2024

The rejection on the defensive end into a lob to Jackson-Davis for a fast-break dunk was his best play of the season. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Pennsylvania German dunke, from Middle High German dunken, from Old High German dunkōn — more at tinge

First Known Use

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1944, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dunk

• dunk on
• dunk shot

Kids Definition

dunk

verb

ˈdəŋk

1

: to dip (as a doughnut) into liquid (as coffee)

2

: to plunge oneself into water