pump
1an apparatus or machine for raising, driving, exhausting, or compressing fluids or gases by means of a piston, plunger, or set of rotating vanes.
Engineering, Building Trades. a shore having a jackscrew in its foot for adjusting the length or for bearing more firmly against the structure to be sustained.
Biology. an animal organ that propels fluid through the body; heart.
Cell Biology. a system that supplies energy for transport against a chemical gradient, as the sodium pump for the transfer of sodium and potassium ions across a cell membrane.
to raise, drive, etc., with a pump.
to free from water or other liquid by means of a pump.
to inflate by pumping (often followed by up): to pump a tire up.
to operate or move by an up-and-down or back-and-forth action.
to supply with air, as an organ, by means of a pumplike device.
to drive, force, etc., as if from a pump: He rapidly pumped a dozen shots into the bull's-eye.
to supply or inject as if by using a pump: to pump money into a failing business.
to question artfully or persistently to elicit information: to pump someone for confidential information.
to elicit (information) by questioning.
to work a pump; raise or move water, oil, etc., with a pump.
to operate as a pump does.
to move up and down like a pump handle.
to exert oneself in a manner likened to pumping: He pumped away at his homework all evening.
to seek to elicit information from a person.
to come out in spurts.
pump up,
to inflate.
to increase, heighten, or strengthen; put more effort into or emphasis on; intensify: The store has decided to pump up its advertising.
to infuse with enthusiasm, competitive spirit, energy, etc.: The contestants were all backstage pumping themselves up for their big moment.
Idioms about pump
prime the pump,
to increase government expenditure in an effort to stimulate the economy.
to support or promote the operation or improvement of something.
pump iron. iron (def. 29).
Origin of pump
1Other words from pump
- pump·a·ble, adjective
- pumpless, adjective
- pumplike, adjective
- un·pump·a·ble, adjective
- un·pumped, adjective
Other definitions for pump (2 of 2)
a lightweight, low-cut shoe without fastenings for women.
a slip-on black patent leather shoe for men, for wear with formal dress.
Origin of pump
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use pump in a sentence
Probably these were warning shots pumped in her direction, but the 42-year-old mother of seven ran for her life.
Israel Creates ‘No Man’s Land’ in Gaza, Shrinking Strip by 40 Percent | Jesse Rosenfeld | July 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhether you love soccer or not, this clip will get you pumped.
You know what else will get anyone pumped up for the World Cup?
Psy and Snoop Dogg’s ‘Hangover,’ World Cup Puppy, and More Viral Videos | The Daily Beast Video | June 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTGet pumped for on-point vocals, mind-blowing showmanship, and lots and lots of surfboardts.
But she pumped the brakes when she found out she was pregnant with her second daughter.
‘Sheezus’ Talks: Lily Allen on Her New Album, Lena Dunham, and ‘Game of Thrones’ | Marlow Stern | May 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Of course, it was the same gallon or two pumped around and around, but clear, flowing water is a sight on Mars.
Fee of the Frontier | Horace Brown FyfeShould it fail, the fluid can generally be pumped out by alternate compression of the tube and the bulb.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddAll drainage from such land had to be pumped over the river bank, in many places 10 feet above the cultivated surface.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickI pumped Dr. Hudson's hand and assured him that we had indeed made spectacular history, and together we could make millions.
Nine Men in Time | Noel Miller LoomisHe listened to everything I said, tried to fit it in with the theories the police school had pumped into his brain.
British Dictionary definitions for pump (1 of 2)
/ (pʌmp) /
any device for compressing, driving, raising, or reducing the pressure of a fluid, esp by means of a piston or set of rotating impellers
biology a mechanism for the active transport of ions, such as protons, calcium ions, and sodium ions, across cell membranes: a sodium pump
(when tr, usually foll by from, out, into, away, etc) to raise or drive (air, liquid, etc, esp into or from something) with a pump or similar device
(tr; usually foll by in or into) to supply in large amounts: to pump capital into a project
(tr) to deliver (shots, bullets, etc) repeatedly with great force
to operate (something, esp a handle or lever) in the manner of a pump or (of something) to work in this way: to pump the pedals of a bicycle
(tr) to obtain (information) from (a person) by persistent questioning
(intr; usually foll by from or out of) (of liquids) to flow freely in large spurts: oil pumped from the fissure
Origin of pump
1British Dictionary definitions for pump (2 of 2)
/ (pʌmp) /
a low-cut low-heeled shoe without fastenings, worn esp for dancing
a type of shoe with a rubber sole, used in games such as tennis; plimsoll
Origin of pump
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for pump
[ pŭmp ]
A device used to raise or transfer fluids. Most pumps function either by compression or suction.
A molecular mechanism for the active transport of ions or molecules across a cell membrane.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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