grand slam

noun

1

baseball : a home run hit with the bases loaded

… the Dodgers' Eric Karros has a shot to become the first player in history to get 200 career home runs without a grand slam.

—Tim Kurkjian

2

a usually Grand Slam

(1)

: the winning of all four of the most significant championships in a particular sport in the same year

—used especially in tennis and golf

… with … Nadal spoiling Federer's bid for the Grand Slam by beating him on the clay at the French Open.

—Sean Gregory

"And so to St. Andrews to begin the quest for the Grand Slam," he [Bobby Jones] wrote.

—Dave Anderson

also : the winning of all four such championships during the course of one's career

Woods … could become the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam, at age 24.

—Clifton Brown

(2)

: one of the championships that comprise a Grand Slam : major entry 2 sense 6

"Last year she was a little hungrier," says Davenport's coach, Robert Van't Hof. "She hadn't won a Grand Slam yet."

—Diane K. Shah

—often used before another noun

a Grand Slam event/tournament

Graf was 17 when she won the first of her 21 Grand Slam titles here in 1987 …

—Robin Finn

b

: a clean sweep or total success

3

: the winning of all the tricks in one hand of a card game (such as bridge)

Once, looking over Grace's shoulder, I saw her make a grand slam in clubs when the highest trump card in her hand was the nine.

—William Maxwell

Examples of grand slam in a Sentence

He made a grand slam.

Recent Examples on the Web

This was Errani and Vavassori’s third grand slam mixed doubles title, adding to victories at last year’s US Open and this year’s French Open. —George Ramsay, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025

Jordan Romano #68 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts to giving up a grand slam home run during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 13, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025

Their new Fenway Greens have been another grand slam City Connect launch, both within the club and with fans. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025

Fish for grand slam Arkansas Game and Fish Commission invites anglers to fish for a 2025 Grand Slam Award. —Arkansas Online, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for grand slam

• abram
• ashram
• begam
• buckram
• doorjamb
• exam
• goddam
• grandam
• priam
• program
• programme
• wolfram

Kids Definition

grand slam

noun

: a home run hit with three runners on base