dunk on
verb
dunked on; dunking on; dunks on
1
: to make a dunk shot over (an opposing player)
[San Antonio] Spurs great Manu Ginobili … stars in a new social media video sharing the game thoughts that ran through his head as he dunked on Yao Ming, one of the NBA's tallest players ever.—
Madalyn Mendoza
Madalyn Mendoza[Malcolm] Brogdon showed the Bucks right away that they got the steal of the draft, as he had an impressive rookie season, even dunking on LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in one game.—Matt Newton
Matt Newton2
slang
: to publicly make fun of (someone or something) especially on social media
Justin Bieber decided he was up for a fresh new hairstyle (or just got sick of people dunking on him) and ditched the dreadlocks.—Samantha Wilson
Samantha Wilson… getting dunked on on social media isn't the same as getting canceled (whatever that means). It's more like dropping your tray of food in the lunchroom in middle school and everyone points and laughs at you …—Jason Aten
Jason Aten[Alex] Walker, a Democrat, is hoping that any attention he draws, whether people celebrate his message or dunk on him, will help transform him into an Internet phenomenon and defeat a Republican firebrand.—Taylor Lorenz and David Weigel
Taylor Lorenz and David WeigelAn inflammatory tweet would be retweeted by supporters, dunked on by critics, and amplified by journalists, before making its way to website homepages, cable news … and newspaper front pages.—David A. Graham
David A. GrahamExamples of dunk on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Reaves provided the fans with a big-time highlight, driving down the lane and throwing down a two-handed dunk on Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins to end the first quarter.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Sunday’s game also included a funny moment in the second quarter, when Adebayo and Ware were both going for the offensive rebound and Adebayo ended up inadvertently dunking on Ware.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
Then Demary used his physicality in the paint for a three-point play on a putback and dunked on the next possession.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
But afterward, two Vikings players tried to dunk on the West Charlotte goal well after the final buzzer sounded as fans, security and media were coming onto the court.
—Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
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Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Sunday’s game also included a funny moment in the second quarter, when Adebayo and Ware were both going for the offensive rebound and Adebayo ended up inadvertently dunking on Ware.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
Then Demary used his physicality in the paint for a three-point play on a putback and dunked on the next possession.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
But afterward, two Vikings players tried to dunk on the West Charlotte goal well after the final buzzer sounded as fans, security and media were coming onto the court.
—Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dunk on
Cite this Entry
“Dunk on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dunk%20on. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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