slam dunk
49
3.0
- noun
- /slæm dʌŋk/
- Informal
- The statewide expectations were that this case was a slam dunk for the government.
- slam dunk case
- slam-dunk win
- exactly a slam dunk
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Watch on YouTubeAnd I thought it was going to be a slam dunk, but they outlawed me.
- And I thought it was going to be a slam dunk, but they outlawed me.
- So it's no such thing, no such thing as a slam dunk in litigation.
- Now, you're right, at this point, it's not a slam dunk.
- No one of these reasons is a slam dunk.
- They haven't been all bad, but they haven't been a slam dunk hit.
- All narcissistic people are egocentric, but selfishness is not a slam dunk.
- And that's largely because there are people I, I think, are waiting for those slam dunks.
Examples
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Apple should be embarrassed that a third party makes a slam dunk like this when they themselves can't seem to get it right.
Blog text (25) -
We all thought Kevin was a slam dunk.
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Talk about a slam dunk.
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It's a slam dunk even for him.
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That to me is a slam dunk case the Supreme Court should take.
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I only advised, but to me, this decision is a slam dunk.
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For the average-day-joe, this is a slam dunk!
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According to legal experts, the Royal family's case is a slam dunk.
Blog text (29) -
By all accounts, Valentine would be a "slam dunk hire" who would turn the Orioles around.
Blog text (26) -
The new marketing strategy was a slam dunk, leading to record sales and customer engagement.
Synonyms
1
4.7
An easy win that is almost certain
Antonyms
How Certain
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal words 'slam' (forcefully hit) and 'dunk' (a forceful basketball shot) suggest a strong, decisive action, so a learner who knows both could infer a meaning related to a forceful, successful act. However, the noun sense 'an easy or guaranteed success' is a metaphorical extension tied to basketball/cultural knowledge and is not fully predictable from the parts alone, making it only partially transparent to a typical B1 learner.
Etymology
Slam dunk comes from that loud basketball move: because a slam and dunk normally give you easy points, people started using the phrase for something that is an 'easy win' or sure success. So calling a plan a slam dunk means it will almost certainly work.