slam
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /slæm/
rhymes: -æm
Forms: form: slams
form: slamming
form: slammed
form: slammed
Etymology: From Middle English *slammen (not recorded), apparently from a Scandinavian source ultimately from Old Norse slæma, slœma (“to slam, swing a weapon, strike an object out of reach”), related to Old Norse slamra, slambra (“to slam”). Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål slamre (“to slam”), Swedish slamra (“to pound, beat, make a clatter, rattle”), Norwegian Nynorsk slamra (“to sway, dangle”).
Senses: examples: text: Don't slam the door!
text: Britain’s borders: wide open to Covid, slammed shut for people in need [title]
ref: 2021 May 19, George Monbiot, “Britain’s borders: wide open to Covid, slammed shut for people in need”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise.
examples: text: Don't slam that trunk down on the pavement!
text: The New South Wales police commissioner has defended the officer who was filmed slamming an Indigenous boy face-first on to a pavement in Sydney, saying the officer “had a bad day”.
ref: 2020 June 3, Michael McGowan, “NSW police commissioner says officer who slammed Indigenous teen to ground ‘had a bad day’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: To put in or on a particular place with force and loud noise. (Often followed by a preposition such as down, against or into.)
examples: text: But Wolves went in front when Steven Fletcher headed in Stephen Hunt's cross and it was 2-0 when Geoffrey Mujangi Bia slammed in his first for the club.
ref: 2011 January 18, “Wolverhampton 5 - 0 Doncaster”, in BBC:
glosses: To strike forcefully with some implement.
examples: text: The boat slammed into the bank and we were almost thrown into the river.
text: The 6-ton fishing boat Kuanghua 15638 was slammed by the communist vessel near the Liuchuan reefs off the coast of Chukuang and drifted toward Nanchu after the collision.
ref: 1978 January 5 [1977 December 30], “PRC Vessel Collides with ROC Fishing Boat off Matsu”, in Daily Report: Asia & Pacific, volume IV, number 3, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, →ISSN, →OCLC, page B 2:
text: Seven people were killed and 66 injured after a High Speed Train slammed into a stationary vehicle that had been parked across the main line by a suicidal driver.
ref: 2021 February 24, Paul Stephen, “Level crossings are one of our key risk areas”, in RAIL, number 925, page 46:
glosses: To strike against suddenly and heavily.
examples: text: They want me nicked, they want me slammed
Fuckin' snitch had me on remand
ref: 2020 April 15, Tremz, “Lightwork Freestyle”:
glosses: To strike and take the life of or at least incapacitate for some time.
examples: text: The Armenian football team has slammed the Turks 6–0.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To defeat or overcome in a match.
examples: text: Don't ever slam me in front of the boss like that again!
text: Union leaders slammed the new proposals.
text: Critics slammed the new film, calling it violent and meaningless.
text: For years we have kept our mouths shut about Rita Mae, always reluctant to slam one of our own, particularly one who used to be pretty good.
ref: 1988 December 11, Susana Darwin, “Keep Editing, Rita Mae”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 22, page 8:
text: Roger Stone slammed Ivanka Trump after not getting pardoned, video shows[.] Republican operative calls Trump an ‘abortionist bitch’ in video released by film-maker who provided footage to January 6 panel[.]
ref: 2022 October 15, Martin Pengelly, “Roger Stone slammed Ivanka Trump after not getting pardoned, video shows”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
text: On Twitter, United We Dream, an immigrant youth-led rights group, slammed Biden’s new policy “a racist and classist attack” on migrants.
ref: 2023 January 8, Edwin Rios, “Biden’s ‘carrot and stick’ approach to deter migrants met with anger”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
text: He continued to slam the “stupid” and “foolish” Republicans who have fallen for the Epstein “hoax” while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office later Wednesday morning, as he and other administration officials were meeting with the leader of Bahrain.
ref: 2025 July 16, Ryan Bort and Asawin Suebsaeng, “Trump calls Epstein conspiracy a ‘hoax’ and turns on Maga ‘weaklings’”, in Rolling Stone:
synonyms: word: animadvert
word: admonish
word: bash
word: bawl out
word: blast
word: derogate
word: berate
word: berisp
word: castigate
word: censure
word: chastise
word: chew out
word: chide
word: condemn
word: criticize
word: denounce
word: denunciate
word: drag
word: dress down
word: eat someone alive
word: excoriate
word: find fault
word: fulminate
word: get down
word: get up
word: give somebody a piece of one's mind
word: give somebody what-for
word: inveigh
word: lace into
word: lambaste
word: lay into
word: lecture
word: light into
word: objurgate
word: pooh-pooh
word: put someone on blast
word: rate
word: read somebody the riot act
word: rebuke
word: reprehend
word: reprimand
word: reproach
word: reprove
word: rip into
word: rubbish
word: savage
word: scold
word: slam
word: tear into
word: tell off
word: threap
word: tick off
word: tosh
word: keelhaul
word: upbraid
word: vilify
word: vituperate
antonyms: back
support
glosses: To speak badly of; to criticize forcefully.
glosses: To compete in a poetry slam.
topics: ball-games
basketball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To dunk forcefully, to slam dunk.
topics: communications
electrical-engineering
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
telecommunications
glosses: To move a customer from one service provider to another without their consent.
examples: text: 17 slam some go juice Big project this afternoon? In stressful situations, glucose-rich drinks improve mood and mental performance, say Dutch researchers.
ref: 2008 January–February, “70 Ways to Improve Every Day of the Week”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 134:
synonyms: word: drink
word: hydrate
word: imbibe
word: wet one's whistle
word: wet one's beak
glosses: To drink off, to drink quickly.
examples: text: I mentioned earlier how many people will draw lines in the sand that they'll never cross: some won't try Tina, others will never slam.
ref: 2017, James Wharton, Something for the Weekend, Biteback Publishing, →ISBN:
topics: drugs
medicine
pharmacology
sciences
synonyms: bang
glosses: To inject intravenously; shoot up.
examples: text: Your bird's textin' me
'Tremzy is the man,'
You be tryna call her but she's busy gettin' slammed
The way she's gettin' doggied you would think she's tryna dance
ref: 2015, Tremz, “Sketty Bums Get Wild”:
topics: lifestyle
sex
sexuality
glosses: To perform coitus upon forcefully; to rail.
examples: For quotations using this term, see Citations:slam. And Citations:slammed.
glosses: To occupy and busy with a high workload.
Derived terms: word: slam back
word: slambook
word: slam door
word: slam-door
word: slam down
english: busied; crowded; drunk
translation: busied; crowded; drunk
word: slammed
word: slam on the brakes
word: slam the door
word: slam the door on