pump up

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pump up

verb pumps up · pumping up · pumped up

transitive To inflate by means of a pump.
Similar: air up
transitive To do so with a pumping action. For someone who is in shape, it is not difficult to pump up a car tire with a bicycle pump; it is merely tedious. But you can get the job done if you need it bad enough.
Similar: air up
figuratively, transitive To excite a person or group to a frenzy. The singer has been pumping up the audience.
intransitive, transitive To cause one's muscles to swell by means of focused weightlifting. I want to pump you up.
transitive To cause (something) to increase in intensity, salience or other traits beyond what is reasonable. You have to pump up the relatability of the characters in your screenplay.
transitive To increase the volume of (something). pump up the jam

Translations

Every language

verb to inflate by means of a pump

Español	inflar
Português	bombear
Français	gonfler
Deutsch	aufpumpen

verb to inflate with a pumping action

Português	bombear
Deutsch	aufpumpen

verb to excite a person or group to a frenzy

Español	entusiasmar

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MLA

"pump up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pump%20up. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pump up. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pump%20up

Chicago

"pump up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pump%20up.

BibTeX

@misc{pump_up_2026,
  title = {pump up},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pump%20up},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}