Definitions and meaning of slam
slam
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /slæm/
-
- Rhymes: -æm
Etymology 1
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”).
Verb
slam (third-person singular simple present slams, present participle slamming, simple past and past participle slammed)
- (transitive, ergative) To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise.
- (transitive, ergative) To put in or on a particular place with force and loud noise. (Often followed by a preposition such as down, against or into.)
- (transitive, intransitive) To strike forcefully with some implement.
- (intransitive) To strike against suddenly and heavily.
- (transitive, slang) To strike and take the life of or at least incapacitate for some time.
- (transitive, sports slang) To defeat or overcome in a match.
- The Armenian football team has slammed the Turks 6–0.
- (transitive, colloquial, originally US) To speak badly of; to criticize forcefully.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:criticize
- Antonyms: back, support
- To compete in a poetry slam.
- (basketball) To dunk forcefully, to slam dunk.
- (transitive, telecommunications) To move a customer from one service provider to another without their consent.
- (transitive) To drink off, to drink quickly.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:drink
- (transitive, intransitive, drugs, slang) To inject intravenously; shoot up.
- Synonym: bang
- (transitive, sex, slang, vulgar) To perform coitus upon forcefully; to rail.
- (informal, US) To occupy and busy with a high workload.
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:slam. And Citations:slammed.
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
slam (countable and uncountable, plural slams)
- (countable) A sudden impact or blow.
- (countable) The shock and noise produced by violently closing a door or other object.
- (countable, basketball) A slam dunk.
- (countable, tennis) One of the competitions of the yearly Grand Slam events.
- (countable, colloquial, US) An insult.
- (uncountable, UK, dialect) The yellow iron silicate produced in alum works as a waste product.
- A poetry slam.
- A slambook.
- (music, uncountable) A subgenre of death metal with elements of hardcore punk focusing on midtempo rhythms, breakdowns and palm-muted riffs.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
Unknown and long-speculated, though perhaps at least reinforced by Etymology 1.
Noun
slam (countable and uncountable, plural slams)
- (uncountable, obsolete) A type of card game, also called ruff and honours.
- A card game, played all at once without separate turns, in which players attempt to get rid of their cards as quickly as possible according to certain rules.
- Synonym: spit
- (countable, card games) Losing or winning all the tricks in a game.
- (countable, bridge) A bid of six (small slam) or seven (grand slam) in a suit or no trump.
- (countable, sports) Winning all (or all but one) of the available, major or specified events in a given year or sports season.
Derived terms
- golden slam
- grand slam
- little slam
- small slam
Verb
slam (third-person singular simple present slams, present participle slamming, simple past and past participle slammed)
- (transitive, card games) To defeat (opponents at cards) by winning all the tricks of a deal or a hand.
- (intransitive, bridge) To make a slam bid.
Etymology 3
Compare Dutch slomp, German Schlampe.
Noun
slam (plural slams)
- (obsolete) A shambling fellow.
Further reading
- Jonathon Green (2024) “slam v.1”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
Anagrams
- ALMS, ALMs, AMLs, AMSL, Alms, LAMs, Lams, MASL, MSAL, SAML, alms, lams, mals, masl, salm
Czech
Pronunciation
Noun
slam
- genitive plural of sláma
French
Pronunciation
Noun
slam m (plural slams)
- poetry slam
Lower Sorbian
Pronunciation
Noun
slam
- dative of slě
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From German Schlamm.
Noun
slam n (definite singular slammet, uncountable)
- mud, ooze, slime, sludge, slurry
References
- “slam” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
- “slam” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From German Schlamm.
Noun
slam n (definite singular slammet, uncountable)
- mud, ooze, slime, sludge, slurry
References
- “slam” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Swedish
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Middle Low German slam. Cognate of German Schlamm. Further origin disputed. Attested since 1587.
Noun
slam n
- silt, sludge, slurry
Declension
Derived terms
- avloppslam
- rötslam
- slamavskiljare
- slambassäng
- slambrunn
- slamkrypare
- slamsug
- slamsugare
- slamsugning
Related terms
Etymology 2
Borrowed from English slam. Attested since 1787.
Noun
slam c
- (card games) slam (winning all the tricks in a game, such as bridge)
Declension
Derived terms
References
- slam in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- slam in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- slam in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
- slam in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
Tày
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Tai *saːm. From Middle Chinese 三 (MC sam|samH). Cognate with Thai สาม (sǎam), Northern Thai ᩈᩣ᩠ᨾ, Lao ສາມ (sām), Lü ᦉᦱᧄ (ṡaam), Tai Dam ꪎꪱꪣ, Shan သၢမ် (sǎam), Tai Nüa ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (sáam), Ahom 𑜏𑜪 (saṃ), Bouyei saaml, Zhuang sam.
Pronunciation
- (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA(key): [ɬaːm˧˥]
- (Trùng Khánh) IPA(key): [θaːm˦]
Numeral
slam (三)
- three
Volapük
Proper noun
slam
- Islam
Declension
Source: wiktionary.org