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

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Clippers in Inglewood, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. —Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 5 Dec. 2024

Redondo Union 97, Oak Park 39: Brayden Miner, the son of former USC star and NBA dunk champion Harold Miner, scored 27 points for Redondo (4-0). —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

Noun

His name echoes in chants from fans celebrating every defensive stop, transition dunk, and three-pointer — open or contested — that he’s drilled this season. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024

Of his 121 total made shots on the year, 77 have been either three's or dunks, and that's not even counting layups. —Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 26 Nov. 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