slam

1 of 3

verb

ˈslam 

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

: slammer

slam

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: grand slam

2

: little slam

Synonyms

Verb

• bang

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.

Noun (1)

gave the stubborn nail one last slam with the hammer

shut the door with a loud slam

sported a gang tattoo on his arm that had gotten him plenty of respect in the slam

the sudden slam of my head against the trunk of the car

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After making landfall in Cuba, the storm is expected to sideswipe the Florida Keys and slam into Louisiana at the weekend, though the forecast this far out is still unclear. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Topline Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce apologized on Monday for slamming a football fan’s phone into the ground over the weekend, after the fan called his brother a homophobic slur for his relationship with Taylor Swift. —Ty Roush, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

Hield converted his second and-1 with a backdoor cut and slam, pushing Golden State’s advantage back to 11 halfway through the period. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024

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

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

• grand slam
• little slam
• slam-bang
• slam dunk
• slam/jam on the brakes

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