dunk
dunk — noun
1. the action of putting food into a liquid for a short time before eating it, or a
the action of putting food into a liquid for a short time before eating it, or a basketball move in which a player jumps up and forces the ball down through the hoop to score
With seconds left on the clock, the crowd cheered as Kim's powerful dunk secured the win.
noun sense: basketball shot
Amara's quick dunk of the cookie into her coffee left just the right amount of softness.
noun sense: food-dipping action
Wei's dunk from the free-throw line amazed everyone and made the evening news.
For the best texture, a brief dunk of the doughnut in the glaze is all you need.
Jamal practised his dunk every afternoon until he could reach the rim with ease.
dunk — verb
- dunkpresent simple I / you / we / they
- dunkshe / she / it
- dunkedpast simple
- dunking-ing form
1. to quickly put a piece of food such as a biscuit, piece of bread, or vegetable i
to quickly put a piece of food such as a biscuit, piece of bread, or vegetable into a drink or sauce before you eat it, usually to soften it or add flavour
Hiroshi likes to dunk his buttered toast into his soft-boiled egg at breakfast.
dunk + food + into + liquid
Nadia carefully dunked the chocolate biscuit in her milk and counted to three before eating it.
At the party, guests dunked fresh strawberries into the warm chocolate fountain.
The children laughed as they dunked their breadsticks into bowls of melted cheese.
Grandma always says the best way to eat a butter cookie is to dunk it in black tea.
文法句型
dunk + object (food) + in/into + liquid
用法筆記
The object is always a solid food item, and the liquid is typically a hot drink, soup, or sauce. This sense is not used for submerging non-food items.
常見錯誤
2. to put someone or something into water or another liquid for a short time, often
to put someone or something into water or another liquid for a short time, often as a joke, as a cleaning step, or to wet or coat the object
Elena's little brother dared her to dunk him in the pool during their swimming lesson.
dunk + person + in + liquid (playful)
The chef told the students to dunk the green beans in ice water right after boiling them.
Diego dunked his paintbrush in water to thin the blue paint before using it on the canvas.
During the summer festival, volunteers offered to dunk their friends into a tank of cold water for charity.
Oluwaseun carefully dunked the silk scarf in the dye and watched the colour spread through the fabric.
文法句型
dunk + object + in/into/under + liquid
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (DIP FOOD), this sense applies to non-edible objects and people. It frequently appears in cooking instructions (briefly submerging vegetables in water) or playful pool contexts. The object is typically inanimate or a willing person.
常見錯誤
3. in the sport of basketball, to leap up and drive the ball through the hoop from
in the sport of basketball, to leap up and drive the ball through the hoop from above with force, scoring two points
Chen jumped higher than anyone else and managed to dunk the ball over two defenders.
transitive: dunk + the ball
Fatima practises every evening so she can learn to dunk like her favourite player.
intransitive: learn to dunk
During the championship game, the power forward scored twelve points just by dunking.
The crowd went silent when the shortest player on the court jumped up and dunked.
Suki watched a video of her favourite athlete dunking the ball in slow motion to study his technique.
- slam dunk
emphasises the forceful, powerful nature of the shot; 'slam dunk' is also used figuratively outside basketball
- throw down
informal, slang term in basketball; less common in formal writing
文法句型
dunk (intransitive)
dunk + object (the ball) + through/in + hoop
用法筆記
This sense is specific to basketball. It can be used transitively ('dunk the ball') or intransitively ('he can dunk'). The intransitive use implies the player can successfully perform the action as part of the sport. Frequently used in sports commentary and informal basketball talk.