What does dunk mean?
"Dunk" is a verb meaning to dip something — most often food — briefly into a liquid before consuming it, as when a biscuit is dunked into tea or a chip is dunked into sauce. By extension it can mean immersing a person or object fully in water, and it carries a distinct and highly prominent sense in basketball, where to dunk is to leap and force the ball downward through the hoop. The word also functions as a noun describing such an act, particularly in the phrase "slam dunk," which has spread figuratively into everyday speech to describe any guaranteed success or emphatic achievement. Informal but entirely standard, "dunk" evokes casual pleasure at the table and athletic spectacle on the court alike. Its versatility across domestic and sporting contexts makes it a small but remarkably energetic word in modern English.
To dip something quickly into a liquid, or to immerse it completely; in basketball, to thrust the ball down through the hoop from above the rim.
"She dunked her toast into the runny egg yolk."
The food sense often implies brief, repeated dipping; the immersion sense suggests fuller submersion.
An act of dunking, especially a forceful shot in basketball made by jumping and pushing the ball through the hoop.
"His final dunk sealed the victory."
Almost always used in the sporting context; the phrase "slam dunk" is also used figuratively for a certain success.
Used chiefly for instances of the basketball move; rarely applied to acts of dipping food.
"He scored three dunks in the first quarter."
The basketball "slam dunk" was once banned by the NCAA for nine years — yet it became one of sport's most iconic moves.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dunk
"Dunk" originated in American English in the late 19th century, borrowed from the Pennsylvania German dialect word "dunken," itself related to the standard German "tunken," both meaning "to dip or immerse." The term likely entered English through German-speaking immigrant communities in the United States, where the practice of dipping bread or pastry in coffee or soup was common. The basketball sense arose in American English in the mid-20th century as the sport developed, and "slam dunk" became widespread from the 1970s onward.
Related word forms
How dunk is actually used
Informal to neutral in register; extremely common in everyday speech about eating habits (especially British usage regarding biscuits and tea) and in sports commentary worldwide. The basketball sense is so dominant in American English that "dunk" alone often implies the sporting move.
Easily confused with dunk
"Duck" means to lower the head or avoid something, while "dunk" means to plunge something into liquid.
"Dunkirk" is a proper noun referring to the French town and its WWII evacuation, unrelated in meaning to the verb "dunk."