PUMPING UP Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

pumping up

verb

present participle of pump up

as in thrilling

to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings of the crowd was pumped up by the band's rocking performance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in increasing

to make greater in size, amount, or number that pop diva is trying to pump up album sales with an extended publicity tour

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 pumping up When showing a complex picture with many different hues next to each other, though, pumping up the output of individual LED colors can cause the edges of those hues to tint and warp. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026 Several stock indexes, including the NASDAQ 100, also relaxed rules for how soon new issues could be included, further pumping up demand. — John Ruwitch, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026 In other words, pumping up the stock market was seen as a way to drive consumer spending. — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Many of my fellow viewers enthusiastically embraced the role of wrestling fans and behaved as if at a WWE match, audibly pumping up the hero and booing her opponents. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 Council Speaker Julie Menin is on the right path to pumping up Fair Fares by increasing the income threshold to participate, making enrollment automatic and even eliminating the fare entirely for some folks. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026 Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is pumping up his reelection bid at age 80 by looking jacked in workouts that his critics say are more popular than the man himself. — ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026 Taking his place in one of the Broadhurst Theatre’s box seats, DJ Griddlebone wastes no time pumping up the crowd and welcoming all and sundry Jellicles to the stage. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026 Scammers start out by buying shares of a cheap stock but then convince others to buy big, pumping up the stock's value so the scammers can then sell their shares for huge profits. — Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping up

Verb

The Miami Hurricanes rallied from a second-half deficit for a thrilling 43-35, come-from-behind double overtime victory over the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
Buffalo is coming off a thrilling overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of thrilling

Verb

Major Wilson, 17, has been around horses most of his life and now spends much of his time helping younger riders get ready, showing them how to saddle their horses without exciting them.

— Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026
For Harrington and her husband Dante, the thought of triplets was shocking but exciting all the same.

— Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

Definition of exciting

Verb

Note the yellow band—interest on the national debt—which is expanding fast.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
The agreement comes as electricity demand rises across the United States, driven partly by expanding data centers, manufacturing and electrification.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of expanding

Verb

But Salazar, who, amazingly, is also a Cuban American former news anchor, is now reckoning with her district increasingly turning on the President amid economic pressure and an immigration crackdown that is extremely unpopular among Latinos.

— Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
Virginia, your story uses dark humor to manipulate readers into sympathizing with Winifred before turning on them.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of turning on

Verb

Heading across the middle as Mahomes settled into the pocket, Worthy initially seemed to settle into the middle of the field before accelerating again toward the sideline.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Strong revenue growth, and accelerating demand for our clothes globally, tells us there is a genuine appetite for our British modern luxury proposition.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

The first order of business for the energy transition is electrifying applications like vehicles and heating and making sure that the electricity that powers them is made using renewables.

— Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Hicks drove the next pitch to right-center for a 3-0 lead, electrifying the towel-waving, cowbell-ringing crowd of 32,125 fans at Tropicana Field.

— Rob Maaddi, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of electrifying

Browse Nearby Words

pumping

pumping up

pumps

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Style

“Pumping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumping%20up. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pumping up

verb

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