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slam dunk

1. Basketball A dramatic forceful dunk shot.

2. Slang Something that is easy to accomplish or certain to occur: a case that the prosecutor saw as a slam dunk.

(click for a larger image)

slam dunk

Stanley Robinson of the University of Connecticut slam-dunking during a 2009 NCAA tournament game

slam-dunk (slămdŭngk′)

v. slam-dunked, slam-dunk·ing, slam-dunks

v.intr.
Basketball

To make a slam dunk.

v.tr.

1. Basketball To shoot (the ball) in a slam dunk.

2. To make a forceful dramatic move against (another): "They've stopped slam-dunking each other and begun designing strategies with the ... aim of moving those on welfare into decent jobs" (David L. Kirp).

slam-dunk′er n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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