as in dipping
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid
dunking a doughnut in one's morning coffee
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of dunking
On the side, there’s a cup of mushroom stock fortified with soy sauce, molasses, rosemary and a touch of cayenne pepper for dunking.
—
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
San Antonio led by as many as 28 during a dominant first-half performance that featured a highlight-worthy play with Castle dunking off a behind-the-back pass from Wembanyama.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Soon, people are dunking his head into a series of punch bowls.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2026
Heat rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis put on a dunking show during the workout, leaving his coaches and teammates in shock.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The title song was appropriately fun and frivolous for a movie that, among other things, featured Porky Pig dunking the basketball.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2026
Sarasota retrieved the rebound and finished the game with Greg Dauer dunking as its fans went wild.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The set also captures the Big 12 fan fest outside the T-Mobile Center on Grand Boulevard, showing fans dunking, concerts and people enjoying the downtown Kansas City vibes.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026
The new jumbo-sized shrimp are hand-dipped in batter, rolled in coconut, and fried to a golden crisp, with a side of creole marmalade for dunking.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2026
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
San Antonio led by as many as 28 during a dominant first-half performance that featured a highlight-worthy play with Castle dunking off a behind-the-back pass from Wembanyama.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Soon, people are dunking his head into a series of punch bowls.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2026
Heat rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis put on a dunking show during the workout, leaving his coaches and teammates in shock.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The title song was appropriately fun and frivolous for a movie that, among other things, featured Porky Pig dunking the basketball.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2026
Sarasota retrieved the rebound and finished the game with Greg Dauer dunking as its fans went wild.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The set also captures the Big 12 fan fest outside the T-Mobile Center on Grand Boulevard, showing fans dunking, concerts and people enjoying the downtown Kansas City vibes.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026
The new jumbo-sized shrimp are hand-dipped in batter, rolled in coconut, and fried to a golden crisp, with a side of creole marmalade for dunking.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dunking
Verb
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The figures, which are based on more than 500,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data, indicate that global tonnages were relatively stable compared with the previous week, with capacity dipping 1 percent.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2026
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More Americans are also dipping into retirement savings to prop up their spending, the report showed.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Try immersing it in cold water for about 30 minutes to help revive it—or incorporate it as an ingredient.—
Randi Gollin,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
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Of course, your chair should make a visual statement, but no one wants a crick in the neck or a sore lower back after a day of immersing yourself in your latest fiction obsession.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dunking. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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