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
The waves were pumping, and she excused herself.
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
As long as Netflix, And Apple and Amazon were pumping billions of dollars into this industry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2023
Scuba divers were feeding fat black hoses into the sunken half of the boat, though I couldn’t tell if they were pumping water out or pumping air in.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
