Dunking
/ˈdʌŋ.kɪŋ/noun
The act of plunging something briefly into a liquid or, in sports, forcefully putting a ball through a basket.
Did you know?“Dunk” is a later English word of uncertain origin, but its meaning has stayed wonderfully physical: to thrust or dip something down into liquid, which is why it feels so abrupt and forceful in modern slang.
Etymological Timeline
16th–17th Century
English
dunk
“To dip or soak something in liquid.”
17th Century
English
dunk
“To immerse or plunge briefly.”
19th Century
English
dunk
“To thrust or throw down forcefully; later, to score by slamming a ball through a basket.”
Modern English
English
dunking
“The act of dunking; the action of immersing or, in basketball, making a dunk shot.”