pump

[ puhmp ]

/ pʌmp /

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See synonyms for: pump / pumped / pumping / pumps on Thesaurus.com

noun

an 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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

Verb Phrases

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.

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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

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English noun pumpe, pompe; cognate with German Pumpe, Dutch pomp

OTHER WORDS FROM pump

pump·a·ble, adjectivepumpless, adjectivepumplike, adjectiveun·pump·a·ble, adjective

un·pumped, adjective

Other definitions for pump (2 of 2)

pump²

[ puhmp ]

/ pʌmp /

noun

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

First recorded in 1720–30; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pump in a sentence

“I think for trans men who are dating every time they hook up they have another coming out,” Sandler said.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In that photo, Merabet has a big smile that spreads across his whole face and lights up his eyes.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We won't find out this season, though it comes up occasionally.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Kickstarter is one start-up platform that seems to have realized the danger.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The most recent issue contains detailed instructions for building car bombs, and the magazine frequently draws up hit-lists.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What need to look to right or left when you are swallowing up free mile after mile of dizzying road?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Most of the men leaped up, caught hold of spears or knives, and rushed out.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
Some weeks after, the creditor chanced to be in Boston, and in walking up Tremont street, encountered his enterprising friend.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In less than ten minutes, the bivouac was broken up, and our little army on the march.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The bride elect rushes up to him, and so they both step down to the foot-lights.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")

British Dictionary definitions for pump (1 of 2)

pump¹

/ (pʌmp) /

noun

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 membranesa sodium pump

verb

(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 amountsto 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 wayto 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 spurtsoil pumped from the fissure

Word Origin for pump

C15: from Middle Dutch pumpe pipe, probably from Spanish bomba, of imitative origin

British Dictionary definitions for pump (2 of 2)

pump²

/ (pʌmp) /

noun

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

Word Origin for pump

C16: of unknown origin

Collins 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

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.

pump

Idioms about pump

Origin of pump

OTHER WORDS FROM pump

Other definitions for pump (2 of 2)

Origin of pump

Words related to pump

How to use pump in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pump (1 of 2)

Word Origin for pump

British Dictionary definitions for pump (2 of 2)

Word Origin for pump

Scientific definitions for pump