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Meaning & use

a dunk

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/əˈ dʌŋk/
US/əˈ dʌŋk/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablesport

    In basketball, a shot in which a player jumps up and pushes the ball down through the hoop with one or both hands.

    Grammar: Countable: say 'a dunk' or 'two dunks'; it is often used with the verb 'do' or 'make'.

    Patterns

    • a dunk over someone
    • score with a dunk
    • a powerful dunk

    He scored the winning points with a dunk in the final second.

    The crowd stood up when the young player threw down a huge dunk.

    Her dunks are the best part of the game to watch.

  2. nouncountable

    The act of pushing someone or something quickly under water and then letting them come up again.

    Grammar: Countable and usually used with 'give someone a dunk' or 'get a dunk'.

    Patterns

    • give someone a dunk
    • get a dunk

    The children took turns giving each other a dunk in the pool.

    He got a quick dunk from his brother and came up laughing.

  3. nouncountableinformal

    A quick dip of food into a liquid, especially a hot drink, before eating it.

    Grammar: Countable; often followed by 'in' plus the liquid.

    Patterns

    • a dunk in something
    • give something a dunk

    Give the cookie a dunk in your tea before you eat it.

    One quick dunk in the milk and the biscuit was gone.

Word forms

pluraldunks

Common combinations

a slam dunk
His slam dunk brought the whole crowd to its feet.
throw down a dunk
She threw down a dunk that shocked everyone in the gym.
a dunk contest
The dunk contest at halftime was more exciting than the game.
a quick dunk
He gave the bread a quick dunk in the soup.
a dunk over someone
That dunk over the tallest defender was on every highlight show.

Synonyms and how they differ

slam
Use 'slam' for a very forceful dunk, or as a short informal name for the same basketball move.
jam
'Jam' is an informal American word for a strong dunk; it sounds more casual than 'dunk'.
dip
'Dip' fits the food sense better and is more general; it does not suggest basketball at all.

Word family

dunk verb
To push the ball down through the hoop, or to dip food in a drink.
dunker noun
A player who is good at dunking the ball.

Commonly confused: a dunk or drunk?

a dunk vs drunk

'Drunk' means having had too much alcohol, and it sounds almost the same as 'dunk'. Check the first letter: d-u-n-k is the basketball move, d-r-u-n-k is the state after drinking.

Practice

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