pump
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pump¹
- /pʌmp/
Rhymes with -ʌmp
Where it comes from
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”).
noun pumps
- A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas. This pump can deliver 100 gallons of water per minute.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- A ride on a bicycle given to a passenger, usually on the handlebars or fender. She gave the other girl a pump on her new bike.
- The heart.
-
The vagina.
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.
Similar: axe wound, bearded clam, beaver, berk, bonne bouche, box, bun, bush, cavern, clunge, coin slot, cooch
verb pumps · pumping · pumped
- To use a pump; to move (water or other liquid) by means of a pump. I've been pumping for over a minute but the water isn't coming through.
- To inject or pour (something) into someone or something in a manner similar to a pump. 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.
- 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. Pump him soundly, impudent Fellow.
-
To gain something, especially information, from (a person) by persistent questioning.
But pump not me for politics.
Similar: grill, interrogate
-
To have sex with; to sexually penetrate, especially with a thrusting motion.
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.
Similar: bang, approach, cohabit, common, company, copulate, couple, engage in sex, exchange flesh, have intimate relations, have marital relations, have sex
- To express milk from (a breast) by means of a breast pump.
- To fill with air by means of a pump; to inflate. He pumped up the air-bed by hand, but used the service station air to pump up the tyres.
- To move rhythmically, as the motion of a pump. I pumped my fist with joy when I won the race.
- To enlarge the body by means of weightlifting or steroid use.
-
To shake (a person's hand) vigorously.
Similar: handshake
- Of music: to be loud, to have strong bass and rhythms; (by extension) to be full of energy. The waves were really pumping this morning.
- 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.
-
To pass gas; to fart quietly.
People never pumped, just never never, but sometimes ye got smells.
Similar: trump, badger, blow off, break ass, break wind, bust ass, crepitate, curmur, cut one, cut one loose, cut the cheese, drop a bomb
- 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
- To inject silicone into the body in order to try to achieve a fuller or curvier look.
- 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.
- 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.
pump²
- /pʌmp/
Rhymes with -ʌmp
Where it comes from
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).
noun pumps
- A low-top shoe with a rubber sole and a canvas upper; a low-top canvas sneaker.
-
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)
She was wearing a lovely new pair of pumps.
Similar: court shoe
- A dancing shoe. Gabriel's pumps were all unpinkt i' th' heel
- A type of shoe without a heel.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ticker, heart, nozzle, faucet, tank, bombshell, bombard, petrol, gasoline, tap, washing, bomb, bombing, carter, geothermal, draining
Translations
Every language
noun device for moving liquid or gas
| Español | bomba, pompa, aguatocha |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 펌프 peompeu |
| 日本語 | ポンプ ponpu, 喞筒 sokutō |
| 中文 | 泵 bèng, 唧筒 jītǒng |
| हिन्दी | पंप pamp, पम्प pamp |
| Kiswahili | pampu |
| Português | bomba |
| Français | pompe |
| Deutsch | Pumpe |
| Italiano | pompa |
| Ελληνικά | αντλία antlía, τρόμπα trómpa |
| Română | pompă |
| Русский | насо́с nasós, по́мпа pómpa |
| Tiếng Việt | bơm |
| العربية | مِضَخَّة miḍaḵḵa |
| עברית | מַשְׁאֵבָה mash'evá |
noun instance of the action of a pump; one stroke of a pump; any action similar to pumping
| Español | bombeo |
|---|---|
| Português | bombeio |
| Română | pompare |
| Русский | нака́чивание nakáčivanije |
| العربية | ضَخّ ḍaḵḵ |
noun device for dispensing liquid or gas to be sold, especially fuel
| Español | bomba, surtidor |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 加油機 /加油机 jiāyóujī |
| Kiswahili | pampu |
| Português | bomba |
| Français | pompe, distributeur |
| Deutsch | Zapfsäule |
| Italiano | distributore |
| Ελληνικά | αντλία antlía |
| Română | pompă |
| Русский | коло́нка kolónka |
noun slang: heart
| Deutsch | Pumpe |
|---|
verb slang: to be going very well
| Português | estar bombando |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | super laufen, wie geschmiert laufen |
verb transitive: to use a pump to move liquid or gas
| Español | bombear, pompear, pompar |
|---|---|
| Português | bombear |
| Français | pomper |
| Deutsch | pumpen |
| Italiano | pompare |
| Ελληνικά | αντλώ antló |
| Română | pompa |
| Русский | кача́ть kačátʹ, нака́чивать nakáčivatʹ, накача́ть nakačátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | bơm, đổ |
| العربية | ضَخَّ ḍaḵḵa |
verb to gain information by persistent questioning
| Deutsch | nachhaken, insistieren |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | αντλώ antló |
verb sports: to kick, throw or hit the ball far and high
| Español | bombear |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | wegdreschen |
noun high-heeled shoe
| 日本語 | パンプス panpusu |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Pumps |
| Română | pantof cu toc |
Talk about this word "pump." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pump. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pump. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pump "pump." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pump.Cite this
@misc{pump_2026,
title = {pump},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pump},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
