slam Hear it!

slam¹ Definition

slam (slam)

transitive verb slammed, slam·ming

  1. to shut or allow to shut with force and noise to slam a door
  2. to hit, throw, or put in place or action with force and noise to slam a baseball over the fence
  3. Informal to criticize or depreciate severely

Etymology: prob. < Scand, as in Norw dial. slamra, slemma

intransitive verb

to shut, go into place, etc. with force and noise

noun

    1. a heavy, noisy impact, shutting, etc.
    2. the noise made by this
  1. ☆ an informal poetry competition in which the participants read their work aloud and are judged by the audience
  2. Informal a severe criticism
  3. Slang slammer
  4. Sports any of certain fast-moving or violent shots, actions, etc.

slam² Definition

slam (slam)

noun

Bridge grand slamor little slam

Etymology: < ?

slam Synonyms

slam

v.

  1. To throw with a slam

    thump, fling, hurl; see throw 1.

  2. To shut with a slam

    bang, crash, push; see close 4.

slam Usage Examples

Object

  • door: He slammed the door behind me which made me jump.
  • rumor: Britney Spears has slammed rumors she has canceled her wedding to Kevin Federline.
  • brake: The car jumped back and I slammed the brakes on, letting the car gently roll back down to its original position.
  • lid: The review should have slammed the coffin lid on nuclear power once for all.
  • ball: The ball landed at the feet of Proctor who slammed the ball over the top from six yards out.
  • boss: And he slammed pub bosses for trying to boost business by offering double shots of spirits for just 10p.

Preposition: on

  • brake: You slam hard on the brakes, skidding to a halt, the image of her face stuck in your mind.

Adjective modifier

  • grand: A grand slam try in spades, asking for good trumps.

Converse of object

  • shut: When the classroom door slams shut at the start of every lesson I feel afraid.
  • bid: With an even better hand, he is well placed to bid a slam.

Modifies a noun

  • bidding: It is described in the later section on slam bidding.
  • door: In short, neither the old slam door trains or the new sliding door Thameslink trains are suitable for these routes.
  • poetry: We discovered that we both wanted to do more with performance and slam poetry and run workshops for people to get them involved.
  • champion: However, the seven-times grand slam champion is certain she can again become a dominant force in the women's game.
  • poet: He was a part of the respect slam performance poet team 2004, and we are delighted to welcome him back.
  • title: It was the first of a record 14 grand slam titles, the last being the US Open last year.

Preposition: of

  • door: In distant parts of the building I heard the muffled slamming of doors.

Noun used with modifier

  • poetry: Notes to Editors Dates of the quarter finals for the respect poetry slam 2005 are - April 20th at Arts Depot North Finchley.
  • door: The noises outside died down, she heard a car door slam.
  • respect: Notes to Editors Dates of the quarter finals for the respect poetry slam 2005 are - April 20th at Arts Depot North Finchley.
slam Quotes

It'snot a slamat you whenpeoplearerudeöit's a slamat the people they've met before.

—Fitzgerald, F(rancis) Scott Key

Browse dictionary entries near slam

  1. slalom
  2. slake
  3. slain
  4. slag
  5. slacks
  6. slacker
  7. slacken
  8. slack water
  9. slack down or off or up
  10. slack-baked
  1. slam-bang
  2. slam dancing
  3. slam-dunk
  4. slammer
  5. slamming
  6. slander
  7. slander of goods
  8. slanderous
  9. slang
  10. slangy