pump

verb

Definition of pumpnext
1
as in to bob
to make short up-and-down movements the thighs of the bicyclists were pumping furiously as they neared the finish line

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to interrogate
to put a series of questions to prying neighbors pumped the guileless child for information about the family's new pool

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to drain
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely pumped water from the well

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pump Halsey recruited Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to pump the record full of blistering rock production to match its gritty content. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026 Slowing down pumping velocities prevents dangerous suction vortices from forming near the ceiling intake. — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 But smart TVs also had a logical, consumer-friendly purpose before the industry started pumping them with ads. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026 The law is part of the state’s plan to limit groundwater usage in order to rebuild the supply after decades without pumping restrictions. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pump
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pump
  1. bob
  2. interrogate
  3. drain
  4. shake
  5. examine
  6. jerk
  7. question
Verb
  • But the calm day gave way to terror when her uncle again looked out into the ocean and saw Summer’s head bobbing in and out of the water.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • And when the sun is shining, that also means the water’s sparkling, sailboats are bobbing, and seagulls are cawing.
    — Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of bob
Verb
  • The technology had moved faster than the organization’s capacity to interrogate it, and no one positioned to stop the deployment had the standing, or the fluency, to ask what would happen if the update failed.
    — Amer Al Ahbabi, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Some years ago, when a foreign tourist was seen recording a video on a street in Beijing, he was stopped and interrogated by several dama wearing red armbands.
    — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of interrogate
Verb
  • In your audit, emergency reserves are separated from non-retirement assets because they should not ever be drained unless there is an emergency.
    — Cicely Jones, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Then, crews from the Urban Search and Rescue team worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to drain the tank and help save the remaining bears from drowning, officials said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of drain
Verb
  • Beck didn’t participate in the book, but Riesman finds enough friends, family and associates to assemble a complex portrait of an artist who wants his audiences to see him as fashion-forward but has had a hard time shaking his past.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Thunderous applause may greet one documentary premiering at the Venice Film Festival, fitting for a story of athletes who shake the earth with every footfall.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • Movie night this past week was Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River, an absolutely devastating neo-Western that examines the injustice many Native American women face on and off the reservation.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Now, in this new study, the international team examined the curious fossil under cross-polarized light, allowing more of its structure to be visible.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of examine
Verb
  • Henry drove off and sped up to 45 mph before jerking the car.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But in 1933, within a matter of days, they were jerked back into reality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of jerk
Verb
  • Critics also questioned whether UCLA’s athletic department had adapted quickly enough to the NIL era.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • At Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, Muslim students had used a spare classroom to pray without incident from 2009 to 2017, when Paxton’s office sent the district a letter questioning whether other students were being excluded.
    — Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of question

Phrases Containing pump

Browse Nearby Words

pummels
pump
pumped
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Cite this Entry

“Pump.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pump. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pump

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pump

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