# slammed

/ˈsɫæmd/ (US) · /slˈæmd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/slammed
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. shut or hit hard

verb · CEFR B1

shut a door or put something down with a lot of force and noise.

For teachers: the past tense of 'slam', indicating the forceful and noisy closing of a door or the striking of an object against a surface.

- He was so angry that he slammed the door as he left the house.
- The driver slammed on the brakes just in time to avoid the deer that had darted into the middle of the road.

### 2. criticised harshly

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

criticised someone or something very strongly in public.

For teachers: used in journalism to describe a severe or forceful verbal attack or public criticism.

- The movie was slammed by critics for its boring plot and poor acting.
- The senator was slammed by the press after his controversial comments regarding the new tax legislation were leaked.

### 3. very busy with work

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

having a huge amount of work to do in a short time.

For teachers: overwhelmed by a high volume of tasks or responsibilities; used as a predicative adjective.

- I'm sorry I didn't call you back; I've been absolutely slammed at the office all week.
- The accounting department is usually slammed during the final week of the fiscal year as they reconcile the annual budgets.

### 4. crowded or full

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

describes a place, like a restaurant or bar, that is completely full of people.

For teachers: referring to a commercial venue operating at or beyond its comfortable capacity due to high customer demand.

- We should have made a reservation because the restaurant was slammed on Saturday night.
- The downtown bars were slammed after the championship game, with queues stretching far down the street.

## Examples

- He slammed the door as he left the room.
- The local newspaper slammed the mayor's new policy, calling it a complete waste of taxpayer money.
- After the negotiations collapsed, the lead diplomat slammed the phone down and informed the press that no further compromises would be offered by his government.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.