stirrup pump

American

noun

a small hand pump held steady by a stirruplike foot bracket, often used in firefighting.

stirrup pump British

noun

a hand-operated vertical reciprocating pump, such as one used in fire-fighting, etc, in which the base of the cylinder is placed in a bucket of water

"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

Etymology

Origin of stirrup pump

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

stirrup pump

With the Vicar's stirrup pump, a pitchfork and a spade It's rather hard to guard an aerodrome.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023