I. slam 1 /slæm/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle slammed , present participle slamming )
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . DOOR ETC [intransitive and transitive] if a door, gate etc slams, or if someone slams it, it shuts with a loud noise SYN bang :
We heard a car door slam.
He slammed the door shut.
2 . PUT SOMETHING SOMEWHERE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put something on or against a surface with a fast violent movement
slam something down/against/onto
Henry slammed the phone down angrily.
3 . HIT WITH FORCE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to hit or attack someone or something with a lot of force
slam into/against etc
All 155 passengers died instantly when the plane slammed into the mountain.
4 . CRITICIZE [transitive] to criticize someone or something strongly – used especially in newspapers SYN slate :
Local media slammed plans to build a prison in the area.
slam somebody for something
The council was slammed for its unfair selection procedure.
5 . slam on the brakes to make a car stop very suddenly by pressing the ↑ brake s very hard
6 . slam the door in sb’s face
a) to close a door hard when someone is trying to come in
b) to rudely refuse to meet someone or talk to them
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ close to stop being open, or to make something stop being open. You use close and shut especially about your eyes, your mouth, a door, a window, or a container:
Can I close the window?
|
Her eyes slowly closed.
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He closed the door gently, so as not to wake the children.
▪ shut to close something . Shut sometimes has a feeling of doing something quickly and firmly, whereas close sounds more careful:
He shut the door with a loud bang.
|
Shut your eyes and go to sleep.
▪ slam to close a door or lid quickly and noisily, especially because you are angry:
She left the room, slamming the door behind her.
▪ draw the curtains to close curtains by pulling them across a window:
The curtains were still drawn at ten o'clock in the morning.
▪ put the lid on something to close a container by putting a lid onto it:
Did you put the lid on the cookie jar?
▪ seal to close something so that no air or water can get in or out:
In this experiment, the chamber must be completely sealed.
II. slam 2 BrE AmE noun [countable usually singular]
the noise or action of a door, window etc slamming