Dunk on Meaning in English

expression

US

UK

Definition

In basketball, 'dunk on' means to jump and score by forcefully putting the ball through the hoop over an opponent. Informally, it also means to defeat, embarrass, or insult someone, especially in a showy way.

Usage & Nuances

'Dunk on' is slang outside basketball, often used to describe verbally defeating someone or making them look foolish. Phrases like 'He dunked on me in the meeting' are common. Informal, rarely used in formal writing. Not always about sports; can mean embarrassing someone online or in conversation.

• Spanish: clavarle (baloncesto) - humillar (argot)
• Portuguese (BR): dar uma enterrada em (basquete) - humilhar (gíria)
• Portuguese (PT): fazer um afundanço em (basquetebol) - humilhar (gíria)
• Chinese (Simplified): 扣篮得分（篮球）- 嘲讽（俚语）
• Chinese (Traditional): 灌籃得分（籃球）- 嘲諷（俚語）
• Hindi: डंक करना (बास्केटबॉल) - अपमान करना (स्लैंग)
• Arabic: يحلق على (كرة السلة) - يسخر من (مصطلح شبابي)
• Bengali: ডাঙ্ক করা (বাস্কেটবল) - অপমান করা (আঞ্চলিক)
• Russian: забить сверху (баскетбол) - унизить (сленг)
• Japanese: ダンクを決める（バスケ）- 圧倒する（スラング）
• Vietnamese: úp rổ qua đầu (bóng rổ) - hạ nhục (lóng)
• Korean: 덩크슛하다(농구) - 망신을 주다(은어)
• Turkish: smaç basmak (basketbol) - küçük düşürmek (argo)
• Urdu: ڈنک کرنا (باسکٹ بال) - شرمندہ کرنا (سلینگ)
• Indonesian: melakukan slam dunk pada (basket) - mempermalukan (slang)

Example Sentences

He loves to dunk on his opponents during the game.

basic

She dunked on me with her quick answer in class.

basic

Did you see him dunk on three players last night?

basic

Wow, you really dunked on him with that comeback.

natural

On social media, people love to dunk on celebrities when they mess up.

natural

He tried to make a smart comment, but she dunked on him in front of everyone.

natural