slam
/ˈslæm/verb, noun
slam is spelled S-L-A-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, slam means “To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in slam?
| Letters | 4: S-L-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 6,884th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is slam?
Slam appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce slam?
- UK /ˈslæm/
- UK [ˈslæm] ~ [ˈslam]
- British /ˈslam/
Slam has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-slam.wav, En-au-slam.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with slam?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as slam from its last stressed vowel (/æm/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: alms.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of slam
- slams present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- slamming participle, present
- slammed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does slam mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise.
Don't slam the door!
- 2
To put in or on a particular place with force and loud noise. (Often followed by a preposition such as down, against or into.)
Don't slam that trunk down on the pavement!
- 3
To strike forcefully with some implement.
- 4
To strike against suddenly and heavily.
The boat slammed into the bank and we were almost thrown into the river.
- 5
slangTo strike and take the life of or at least incapacitate for some time.
- 6
slangTo defeat or overcome in a match.
The Armenian football team has slammed the Turks 6–0.
- 7
colloquialTo speak badly of; to criticize forcefully.
Don't ever slam me in front of the boss like that again!
- 8
To compete in a poetry slam.
- 9
To defeat (opponents at cards) by winning all the tricks of a deal or a hand.
- 10
To make a slam bid.
noun
- 1
A sudden impact or blow.
- 2
The shock and noise produced by violently closing a door or other object.
- 3
A slam dunk.
- 4
One of the competitions of the yearly Grand Slam events.
- 5
UScolloquialAn insult.
I don't mean this as a slam, but you can be really impatient sometimes.
- 6
UKThe yellow iron silicate produced in alum works as a waste product.
- 7
A poetry slam.
- 8
A slambook.
- 9
obsoleteA type of card game, also called ruff and honours.
- 10
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.
- 11
Losing or winning all the tricks in a game.
- 12
A bid of six (small slam) or seven (grand slam) in a suit or no trump.
- 13
Winning all (or all but one) of the available, major or specified events in a given year or sports season.
- 14
obsoleteA shambling fellow.
noun
- 1
Initialism of simultaneous localization and mapping.
- 2
Acronym of supersonic low altitude missile.
- 3
Acronym of stand-off land attack missile.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Slam in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | claquer , descendre, critiquer, dire du mal, incendier , smasher |
| German | zuschlagen, zuknallen , ausschimpfen |
| Spanish | azotar, dar un portazo, tirar, cerrar de golpe, cerrar de un golpe |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does slam come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).