pump

plural pumps

1. A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.

   This pump can deliver 100 gallons of water per minute.

2. 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.

3. 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.

   1 more example

   Trump thinks: If I can actually end this war and lift sanctions on Russia, Russian oil will swamp the global market, it’ll drive down the price of gasoline at the pump and I will win the midterms.

   2025 February 20, Thomas L. Friedman, Patrick Healy, Jillian Weinberger, “Tom Friedman on Just How Far Trump Could Push the World”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

4. bodybuildingA 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.

   2010, Eric Velazquez, “Power Pairings” (17::83 from the start), in Reps!, spoken by Arnold Schwarzenegger

5. colloquialA 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.

6. USslangThe heart.
7. UKobsoleteslangvulgarThe 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.

   1750, “Ge ho, Dobbin or the Waggoner”, in The Tulip, page 2

   Synonyms: axe wound, bearded clam, beaver, berk, bonne bouche, box, bun, bush

present singular third person pumps · participle present pumping · participle past pumped · past pumped

1. intransitivetransitiveTo use a pump; to move (water or other liquid) by means of a pump.First known use 16th c.

   I've pumped over 1000 gallons of water in the last ten minutes.

   2 more examples

   I've been pumping for over a minute but the water isn't coming through.

   With each beat, your heart's left ventricle pumps blood into your arteries, which are all different sizes.

   2026, Ginny Graves, “The Most Important Health Metric You're Not Tracking”, in Men's Health, volume 41, number 2, page 19

2. transitiveTo 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.

   2023 August 7, Clive Cookson, “Missing ice and bleached coral: the sudden warming of the oceans”, in Financial Times

3. obsoleteTo 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.First known use 16th–19th c.

   Pump him soundly, impudent Fellow.

   1676, Thomas Shadwell, The Virtuoso

   1 more example

   ‘So much the worse for him. I've had my eye on him for some time. He shall be prettily pumped upon.’

   1872, George Eliot, Middlemarch, Book IV, chapter 37

4. transitiveTo gain something, especially information, from (a person) by persistent questioning.First known use 17th c.

   But pump not me for politics.

   1682, Thomas Otway, Venice Preserv'd

   3 more examples

   I had no idea why he wanted to be sociable, but as we chatted in there it suddenly occurred to me the fellow was trying to get at something - in fact, pumping me.

   1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 214

   Occasionally, I've thought about the positive side of being involved with someone with your privileges. I have thought that it's a relief that your parents have money. In a pinch, if something were to happen, to either one of us, you could pump your parents for money. I hope it never gets to that but it's nice knowing that there's some rich in-laws out there.

   1990 February 4, Vanessa Nemeth, Stephanie Poggi, “Bumps And All”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 29, page 12

   "Did Dora just offer up that advice, or were you pumping her for information?" "Shoot, I outed my informant. I'm a terrible spy."

   2017, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content (webcomic), Number 3509: Sensitive Information

   Synonyms: grill, interrogate

5. UKslangtransitiveTo have sex with; to sexually penetrate, especially with a thrusting motion.First known use 18th c.

   Pump my tight hole so long and hard that I can't walk or sit when you're done.

   1990 December 9, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 21, page 12

   1 more example

   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.

   1750, “Ge ho, Dobbin or the Waggoner”, in The Tulip, page 2

   Synonyms: bang, approach, cohabit, common, company, copulate, couple, engage in sex

6. intransitivetransitiveTo express milk from (a breast) by means of a breast pump.First known use 19th c.
7. oftentransitiveTo fill with air by means of a pump; to inflate.First known use 19th c.

   He pumped up the air-bed by hand, but used the service station air to pump up the tyres.

8. transitiveTo move rhythmically, as the motion of a pump.First known use 19th c.

   I pumped my fist with joy when I won the race.

9. bodybuildingTo enlarge the body by means of weightlifting or steroid use.First known use 20th c.

   Synonyms: big up, lift, pump iron

10. transitiveTo shake (a person's hand) vigorously.First known use 10th c.

    Synonyms: handshake

11. USintransitiveslangOf music: to be loud, to have strong bass and rhythms; (by extension) to be full of energy.First known use 20th c.

    Last night's party was really pumping.

    1 more example

    The waves were really pumping this morning.

12. hobbiesTo 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.

    2011 February 5, Michael Da Silva, “Wigan 4 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC

13. UKslangvulgarTo pass gas; to fart quietly.

    People never pumped, just never never, but sometimes ye got smells.

    2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin, published 2009, page 82

    Synonyms: trump, badger, blow off, break ass, break wind, bust ass, crepitate, curmur

14. computingTo pass (messages) into a program so that it can obey them.

    c. 2012, Microsoft, .NET Framework 4.5 documentation for Marshal.CleanupUnusedObjectsInCurrentContext The interop system pumps messages while it attempts to clean up RCWs.

    2 more examples

    Sure enough, rather than pumping a message to the Console window, you will now see a message box displaying your message

    2006, Andrew Troelsen, Pro C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform

    The CLR pumps messages automatically during a wait, reducing the likelihood of this but it can show up in native code.

    2008, Joe Duffy, Concurrent Programming on Windows

15. colloquialTo inject silicone into the body in order to try to achieve a fuller or curvier look.
16. 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.

    1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 80

17. 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.

plural pumps

1. UKA low-top shoe with a rubber sole and a canvas upper; a low-top canvas sneaker.

   Synonyms: gym shoe, dap, plimsoll, sneaker

2. CanadaUSA 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.

   Synonyms: court shoe

3. A dancing shoe.

   Gabriel's pumps were all unpinkt i' th' heel

   1591, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew

   2 more examples

   So I laid down my knittin', an' got up, an' stole ovir to the banes, an' nivir believe me iv I didn't see, sittin' right forenint me, in the very middle of thim, a bit of an ould man, not a quarther so big as a new-born child, wid a little cocked hat an his head, an' a dudeen in his mouth, smokin' away; an' a plain, ould-fashioned, dhrab-coloured coat, wid big brass buttons upon it, an his back, an' a pair o' massy silver buckles in his shoes, that a'most covered his feet they war so big, an' he workin' away as hard as ivir he could, heelin' a little pair o' pumps.

   1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 378

   Ballerine - or ballet pumps - are the Milanese woman's footwear 'de rigeur', and not just because there are so many cobbled streets to walk over and are therefore infinitely preferable to heels.

   2012, Rachael Martin, The Fashion Lover's Guide to Milan

4. A type of shoe without a heel.