Meaning & use
slammed
Last updated
“slammed” is a form of “slam”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectiveafter a verbinformalAmerican
Having far more work or customers than you can comfortably handle.
Grammar: Used after be or get, not before a noun: we are slammed today.
Patterns
- be slammed with something
- get slammed
The restaurant was slammed all night because of the concert nearby.
I'm completely slammed this week, so can we meet on Monday?
The help desk gets slammed every time the system goes down.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Shut something very hard so that it makes a loud noise, or put something down with great force.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of slam; a door can slam by itself or someone can slam it.
Patterns
- slam something shut
- slam something down
She slammed the car door and stormed up the driveway.
The wind slammed the window shut during the storm.
He slammed his fist on the table in frustration.
verbtransitiveinformal
Criticized someone or something in a very harsh, public way.
Grammar: Takes the target of the criticism as object; common in news headlines.
Patterns
- slam someone for something
Critics slammed the film as dull and predictable.
The mayor slammed the proposal as a waste of public money.
Fans slammed the referee for ignoring the foul.
Word forms
| base form | slam |
|---|---|
| third person singular | slams |
| past tense | slammed |
| -ing form | slamming |
Common combinations
- slammed with work
- The whole department is slammed with work before the deadline.
- slammed the door
- He slammed the door and left the house.
- slammed the brakes
- She slammed the brakes when the dog ran into the road.
- slammed for
- The company was slammed for its poor customer service.
- absolutely slammed
- We're absolutely slammed on Fridays.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swamped
- Swamped is also informal and means overloaded with work, but it can be used in more settings, including formal ones, than slammed.
- overwhelmed
- Overwhelmed is more general and can describe emotions as well as work, and it is acceptable in formal writing.
- criticized
- Criticized is the neutral way to express disapproval, while slammed adds force and suggests very public, harsh criticism.
- banged
- Banged describes the loud noise of shutting something and has no sense of busyness or criticism.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: slammed or slandered?
slammed vs slandered
Slandered means spoke false and damaging statements about someone, which is different from slammed, meaning criticized harshly (the criticism may be true).
Practice
Maria says, 'Sorry I haven't called, I've been completely slammed at work.' What does she mean?
Choose one answer.
Here slammed is an informal adjective meaning overloaded with work. The criticism option is a different sense of the verb slam, which does not match this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slammed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.