pump

[ puhmp ]

/ pʌmp /

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.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!

Question 1 of 10

A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?

Often it means something is impossible.

It’s another way to agree with someone.

It serves as an apology.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for 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

1400–50; late Middle English pumpe (noun); cognate with German Pumpe,Dutch pomp

OTHER WORDS FROM pump

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

un·pumped, adjective

Definition 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. 2020

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

Medical definitions for pump

pump

[ pŭmp ]

n.

A machine or device for raising, compressing, or transferring fluids.

A molecular mechanism for the active transport of ions or molecules across a cell membrane.

v.

To raise or cause to flow by means of a pump.

To transport ions or molecules against a concentration gradient by the expenditure of chemically stored energy.

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.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

pump