pump
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.
were pumping
-
past progressiveof pump.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Chevron’s U.S. refineries were pumping out fuel at a record rate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Investors were pumping the brakes on Tuesday, but this comes after the S&P 500 posted a 22.8% gain from May to the end of October.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2025
“Even though we were pumping into the tank, the tank level was still dropping.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2025
Several hours later, responders who were pumping water out of a basement in Schorndorf in Baden-Württemberg found the bodies of a man and a woman, according to the police.
From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
I piled the straw on top of me and worked the treadle as if I were pumping in order to breathe.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
