What does "pump" mean?
A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.
Pump
/pʌmp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.
- Grammar: pump is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: heart, abdomen, add to, aggrandize.
- Useful contrasts: dampen, deflate, depress.
- Usage evidence: The pump did not act as it should have.
How to use "pump"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pump" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pump" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pump" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pump" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pump" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "heart" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pump", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.
"This pump can deliver 100 gallons of water per minute."
- 2 A low-top shoe with a rubber sole and a canvas upper; a low-top canvas sneaker. British
- 3 a mechanical device that moves fluid or gas by pressure or suction wordnet
- 4 An instance of the action of a pump; one stroke of a pump; any action similar to pumping
"It takes thirty pumps to get 10 litres; he did 50 pumps of the weights."
- 5 A type of women's shoe which leaves the instep uncovered and has a relatively high heel, especially a stiletto (with a very high and thin heel) Canada, US
"She was wearing a lovely new pair of pumps."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a low-cut shoe without fastenings wordnet
- 7 A device for dispensing liquid or gas to be sold, particularly fuel; a gas pump.
"This pump is out of order, but you can gas up at the next one."
- 8 A dancing shoe.
"Gabriel's pumps were all unpinkt i' th' heel"
- 9 the hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body wordnet
- 10 A swelling of the muscles caused by increased blood flow following high intensity weightlifting.
"Want a skin-stretching pump? Up the volume by using high-rep sets. A great pump is better than coming."
- 11 A type of shoe without a heel.
- 12 A ride on a bicycle given to a passenger, usually on the handlebars or fender. colloquial
"She gave the other girl a pump on her new bike."
- 13 The heart. US, slang
- 14 The vagina. British, obsolete, slang, vulgar
"Thus to and again to our paſtime we went, / And my Cards I play'd fairly to Jenny's content; / I work'd at her Pump till my Sucker grew dry, / Then I left pumping, a good Reaſon why."
Verb
- 1 To use a pump; to move (water or other liquid) by means of a pump. intransitive, transitive
"I've been pumping for over a minute but the water isn't coming through."
- 2 question persistently wordnet
- 3 To inject or pour (something) into someone or something in a manner similar to a pump. transitive
"The underlying cause of the warming is human activities pumping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, scientists say. But the reasons why marine heating is speeding up now are far from clear."
- 4 deliver forth wordnet
- 5 To put (a person or part of the body) under a stream of water from a pump, as a punishment or as a form of medical treatment; to force a pump of water upon or on someone. obsolete
"Pump him soundly, impudent Fellow."
Show 20 more definitions
- 6 operate like a pump; move up and down, like a handle or a pedal wordnet
- 7 To gain something, especially information, from (a person) by persistent questioning. transitive
"But pump not me for politics."
- 8 raise (gases or fluids) with a pump wordnet
- 9 To have sex with; to sexually penetrate, especially with a thrusting motion. UK, slang, transitive
"Thus to and again to our paſtime we went, / And my Cards I play'd fairly to Jenny's content; / I work'd at her Pump till my Sucker grew dry, / Then I left pumping, a good Reaſon why."
- 10 move up and down wordnet
- 11 To express milk from (a breast) by means of a breast pump. intransitive, transitive
- 12 draw or pour with a pump wordnet
- 13 To fill with air by means of a pump; to inflate. often, transitive
"He pumped up the air-bed by hand, but used the service station air to pump up the tyres."
- 14 flow intermittently wordnet
- 15 To move rhythmically, as the motion of a pump. transitive
"I pumped my fist with joy when I won the race."
- 16 supply in great quantities wordnet
- 17 To enlarge the body by means of weightlifting or steroid use.
- 18 To shake (a person's hand) vigorously. transitive
- 19 Of music: to be loud, to have strong bass and rhythms; (by extension) to be full of energy. US, intransitive, slang
"The waves were really pumping this morning."
- 20 To kick, throw, or hit the ball far and high.
"Blackburn pumped long balls towards Diouf as they became increasingly desperate to salvage a point, but Wigan held on for a win that may prove crucial in their quest for Premier League survival."
- 21 To pass gas; to fart quietly. British, slang, vulgar
"People never pumped, just never never, but sometimes ye got smells."
- 22 To pass (messages) into a program so that it can obey them.
"Sure enough, rather than pumping a message to the Console window, you will now see a message box displaying your message"
- 23 To inject silicone into the body in order to try to achieve a fuller or curvier look. colloquial
- 24 To fire a bullet from a firearm.
"As quick as was el adrea, Tarzan of the Apes was quicker, and so the great beast crashed against a tree where he had expected to feel the soft flesh of man, while Tarzan, a couple of paces to the right, pumped another bullet into him that brought him clawing and roaring to his side."
- 25 To load a shell into the chamber of a pump-action shotgun by pumping the mechanism.
"He ran on, pumping another round up into his scattergun."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The pump did not act as it should have."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pump"?
Common synonyms include: heart, abdomen, add to, aggrandize, air pump, amplify.
How do you use "pump" in a sentence?
The pump did not act as it should have.
How do you pronounce "pump"?
Pronounced /pʌmp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English pumpe, possibly from Middle Dutch pompe (“pipe, water conduit”) or Middle Low German pumpe (“pump”), probably ultimately imitative. Compare Dutch pompen, German pumpen, and Danish pompe; also Spanish bomba (“pump”).
Etymology 2
The etymology of the term is unclear and disputed. One possibility is that it comes from pomp (“ornamentation”). Another is that it refers to the sound made by the foot moving inside the shoe when dancing. The Oxford English Dictionary claims that it appeared in the 16th century, and lists its origin as "obscure". It has also been linked to the Dutch pampoesje, possibly borrowed from Javanese pampus, ultimately from Persian پاپوش (pâpuš), borrowed from Arabic بَابُوش (bābūš).