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

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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

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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 But funding to pump water from a separate watershed into Rattlesnake Creek was approved in 2025 through spending legislation that Marshall supported. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 Trump might invoke the Defense Production Act of 1950 to order California to pump more oil. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Using electrodes in its pull-up handle, the scale tracks more than 60 metrics, now including hypertension risk and how efficiently the heart pumps blood—a first for a home scale, according to Withings. — Eliza Thompson, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Nitric oxide helps relax and dilate blood vessels, which can reduce the resistance the heart has to pump against, Basman explained. — Sarah Garone, HEALTH, 15 Oct. 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
  • On a recent morning, surfers bobbed in the water off North Beach, not far from the rocky structure shoring up the train tracks by the sea.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • On Collins Ave in Miami Beach, the yachts along the intracoastal were bobbing nearly at street level.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of bob
Verb
  • In practice, that means juniors sitting in on meetings to watch colleagues interrogate the numbers, being present when real decisions get made, and gaining experience in different departments.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Lately, Skarsgård seems to be doing the same, gravitating toward roles that, at their core, interrogate the impact his looks have on other people.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of interrogate
Verb
  • Allen drained it to extend Charlotte’s lead to 20, and then found Dennis Schröder for a high-five as Miami called a timeout.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
  • In hopes of restoring the water's blue hue, park rangers partially drained Morning Glory in the 1970s to extract debris.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of drain
Verb
  • Sitake winds up practice with a prayer and insists that the defense and offense shake hands after going at one another all day.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Mothers who beat, shook, shot, drowned, strangled, and stabbed their babies.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • Chinese researchers have examined Russia’s use of reconnaissance drones to locate targets and direct strikes.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators examined allegations involving more than 300 victims spanning from 1950 through 2011.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of examine
Verb
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Drivers should never swerve or jerk the steering wheel, the state patrol said.
    — Celia Frazier, Denver Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of jerk
Verb
  • Prosecutors said the 33-year-old suspect, a German citizen who has ties to the Berchtesgaden area but doesn't currently live there, was questioned.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • A number of protesters were also taken in for questioning and not allowed to join planned marches, according to local media.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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