dunk

[ duhngk ]

verb (used with object)

1. to dip (a doughnut, cake, etc.) into coffee, milk, or the like, before eating.
2. to submerge in a liquid:

   She dunked the curtains in the dye.

3. Basketball. to attempt to thrust (a ball) through the basket using a dunk shot.

verb (used without object)

1. to dip or submerge something, oneself, etc., in a liquid:

   She thinks it's vulgar to dunk. Let's dunk in the pool before dinner.

2. Basketball. to execute or attempt a dunk shot.

noun

1. any flavorful sauce, dip, gravy, etc., into which portions of food are dipped before eating.
2. Basketball. dunk shot.

dunk

/ dʌŋk /

verb

1. to dip (bread, etc) in tea, soup, etc, before eating
2. to submerge or be submerged in liquid

Derived Forms

• ˈdunker, noun

Other Words From

• dunka·ble adjective noun
• dunker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dunk¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1865–70; from Pennsylvania Dutch dunke “to dip, immerse”; compare German tunken, Middle High German dunken, tunken, Old High German thunkōn, dunkōn

Word History and Origins

Origin of dunk¹

C20: from Pennsylvania Dutch, from Middle High German dunken, from Old High German dunkōn; see duck ², tinge

Example Sentences

Davis got poked in the left eye during the third quarter Sunday night in the team’s win over Toronto while blocking Jakob Poeltl’s dunk attempt.

From Los Angeles Times

A few seconds later, he grabbed a miss from Mack and elevated for a ferocious putback dunk.

From Los Angeles Times

Davis, a huge part of the third-quarter run, made the biggest defensive play of the game when he met Raptors 7-footer Jakob Poeltl in front of the rim, rejecting a one-handed dunk emphatically.

From Los Angeles Times

“That’s always been my basketball pleasure, being able to just kind of read the game and put the ball, like I said, for guys to just to be able to just catch, shoot, layup, dunk, whatever it is.”

From Los Angeles Times

Remember, too, that what always made Twitter/X more potent and desirable to those right-wingers was the fact that there were libs on the platform they could dunk on and to whom they could present themselves in opposition.

From Slate

Related Words

• douse
• soak