grand slam
noun
1
baseball
: a home run hit with the bases loaded
… the Dodgers' Eric Karros has a shot to become the first player in history to get 200 career home runs without a grand slam.—
Tim Kurkjian
Tim Kurkjian2
a
usually Grand Slam
(1)
: the winning of all four of the most significant championships in a particular sport in the same year
—used especially in tennis and golf
… with … Nadal spoiling Federer's bid for the Grand Slam by beating him on the clay at the French Open.—Sean Gregory
Sean Gregory"And so to St. Andrews to begin the quest for the Grand Slam," he [Bobby Jones] wrote.—Dave Anderson
Dave Anderson
also
: the winning of all four such championships during the course of one's career
Woods … could become the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam, at age 24. —Clifton Brown
Clifton Brown
(2)
: one of the championships that comprise a Grand Slam : major entry 2 sense 6
"Last year she was a little hungrier," says Davenport's coach, Robert Van't Hof. "She hadn't won a Grand Slam yet."—Diane K. Shah
—often used before another nounDiane K. Shaha Grand Slam event/tournament
Graf was 17 when she won the first of her 21 Grand Slam titles here in 1987 …—Robin Finn
Robin Finn
b
: a clean sweep or total success
3
: the winning of all the tricks in one hand of a card game (such as bridge)
Once, looking over Grace's shoulder, I saw her make a grand slam in clubs when the highest trump card in her hand was the nine.—William Maxwell
William MaxwellExamples of grand slam in a Sentence
He made a grand slam.
Recent Examples on the Web
Simon Hoffman of Calabasas had a big week against Thousand Oaks, going seven for 10 with seven RBIs, including a grand slam.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
But a deeper maturity, necessary to make the performance a true grand slam, is lacking.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Moments after a walkoff grand slam provided the San Marcos softball team with a dramatic 4-3 win over Cal State Monterey Bay, Albayati changed from her No. 18 softball jersey into a No. 42 baseball jersey and sprinted a couple hundred yards from the softball field down to the baseball field.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Then the floodgates opened as Peyton Stovall was hit by a pitch, McLaughlin and Aloy singled and Kendall Diggs drew a walk to set up Souza's grand slam.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 3 Apr. 2024
The two-time grand slam winner was handed the ban in September 2023 after being found guilty of anti-doping rule violations by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Independent Tribunal.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Santa Margarita 14, Granada Hills 2: Brody Schumaker hit a grand slam during an eight-run first inning and Jake Lavin finished with two hits and four RBIs to lead Santa Margarita in a five-inning win.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Wilmer Flores also has two, but Michael Conforto, who had a monster series, hit a grand slam on Saturday, so that takes the cake.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Each tournament is operated and organized by independent organizations that are separate from the PGA Tour but are still recognized as part of the Tour calendar, in a similar way to tennis’ four grand slams.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
But a deeper maturity, necessary to make the performance a true grand slam, is lacking.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Moments after a walkoff grand slam provided the San Marcos softball team with a dramatic 4-3 win over Cal State Monterey Bay, Albayati changed from her No. 18 softball jersey into a No. 42 baseball jersey and sprinted a couple hundred yards from the softball field down to the baseball field.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Then the floodgates opened as Peyton Stovall was hit by a pitch, McLaughlin and Aloy singled and Kendall Diggs drew a walk to set up Souza's grand slam.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 3 Apr. 2024
The two-time grand slam winner was handed the ban in September 2023 after being found guilty of anti-doping rule violations by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Independent Tribunal.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Santa Margarita 14, Granada Hills 2: Brody Schumaker hit a grand slam during an eight-run first inning and Jake Lavin finished with two hits and four RBIs to lead Santa Margarita in a five-inning win.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Wilmer Flores also has two, but Michael Conforto, who had a monster series, hit a grand slam on Saturday, so that takes the cake.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Each tournament is operated and organized by independent organizations that are separate from the PGA Tour but are still recognized as part of the Tour calendar, in a similar way to tennis’ four grand slams.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grand slam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grand slam
Cite this Entry
“Grand slam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grand%20slam. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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