slam

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈslæm/ UK /slæm/ See IPA manual

Freq #6897

Meanings

1

verb
To shut something with great force, making a loud noise.

She was so angry that she slammed the door behind her.
2

verb
To put something down hard and noisily.

He slammed the books on the table and stormed out.
3

verb
To hit or crash against something suddenly and heavily.

The boat slammed into the bank and we almost fell into the river.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to shut something with... bang

Word family

Forms slammedslammingslams

Derived forms bodyslamchokeslamdoorslamhoverslamkerslampowerslamslam-bangslam-clickerslam-danceslam-doorslamballslambang

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

slam dunk
a basketball shot in which a player forcefully pushes the ball down through the hoop

Noun + noun

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”).

*slammen Middle English slæma Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# slam

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈslæm/
**IPA (UK):** /slæm/
**Frequency rank:** 6897

## Meanings
1. To shut something with great force, making a loud noise.
2. To put something down hard and noisily.
3. To hit or crash against something suddenly and heavily.

## Examples
- She was so angry that she slammed the door behind her.
- He slammed the books on the table and stormed out.
- The boat slammed into the bank and we almost fell into the river.

## Derived Forms
- bodyslam
- chokeslam
- doorslam
- hoverslam
- kerslam
- powerslam
- slam-bang
- slam-clicker
- slam-dance
- slam-door
- slamball
- slambang

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *slammen
- Root: slæma

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Slam is 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”). Important forms in the word's history include Middle English *slammen, Old Norse slæma. In current use it includes senses such as To shut something with great force, making a loud noise and To put something down hard and noisily.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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