dunk

1 of 2

verb

ˈdəŋk 

dunked; dunking; dunks

transitive verb

1

: to dip (something, such as a piece of bread) into a beverage while eating

2

: to dip or submerge temporarily in liquid

3

: to throw (a basketball) into the basket from above the rim see also dunk on

intransitive verb

1

: to submerge oneself in water

2

: to make a dunk shot in basketball

dunk

2 of 2

noun

: the act or action of dunking

especially : dunk shot

Synonyms

Verb

• dip
• duck
• immerse

Examples of dunk in a Sentence

Verb

I like to dunk my doughnut in my coffee.

She dunked him while they were swimming.

He dunked the ladle into the soup.

He could dunk when he was 16.

Noun

The pass led to a dunk.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Imagine wearing a flamingo outfit while dunking your target’s head in a toilet. —George Yang, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025

For Denver, one thing Johnson’s lob prowess should create is another way to optimize the superlative athleticism and dunking ability of Aaron Gordon, with Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and DaRon Holmes also being potential targets. —Joel Rush, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Noun

Dink and dunk in Houston, under the lights, and the Cougars will have you for brisket. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025

There haven’t really been any slam-dunk breakouts from the Lido like festivals past – there’s been a bit too much ‘mid’, as the kids might say. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Pennsylvania German dunke, from Middle High German dunken, from Old High German dunkōn — more at tinge

First Known Use

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1944, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dunk

• dunk on
• dunk shot

Rhymes for dunk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• hunk
• junk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk
• trunk

Kids Definition

dunk

verb

ˈdəŋk

1

: to dip (as a doughnut) into liquid (as coffee)

2

: to plunge oneself into water