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pump

/pəmp/

/pəmp/

Other forms: pumps; pumping; pumped

A pump is a machine that sucks up liquid from one place and moves it somewhere else, like a gas pump. If you’re pumped about this word, you can put on pumps, pump up the volume, and pump some iron!

When you use the device called a pump, you pump water or gas. Other things that force some liquid or gas to move, also pump: your heart pumps blood, and your foot pumps the brake of your car when you're stopping on an icy road. If you pump iron, you lift weights. If you’re pumped, you’re excited. “Pump Up the Volume” was a hit song in 1987, so turn it up. A pump is also a woman's dress shoe.

Definitions of pump
  1. noun
    a mechanical device that moves fluid or gas by pressure or suction
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    types:
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    air pump, vacuum pump
    a pump that moves air in or out of something
    aspirator
    a pump that draws air or another gas through a liquid
    auxiliary pump, donkey pump
    a supplementary pump available if needed
    bicycle pump
    a small pump that fills bicycle tires with air
    bilge pump
    a pump to remove bilgewater
    centrifugal pump
    a pump that use centrifugal force to discharge fluid into a pipe
    force pump
    pump used to force a liquid up and expel it under pressure
    gas pump, gasoline pump, island dispenser, petrol pump
    a pump in a service station that draws gasoline from underground storage tanks
    grease-gun, gun
    a hand-operated pump that resembles a revolver; forces grease into parts of a machine
    hand pump
    a pump worked by hand
    heart-lung machine
    a pump to maintain circulation during heart surgery; diverts blood from the heart and oxygenates it and then pumps it through the body
    hydraulic pump, hydraulic ram
    a water pump that uses the kinetic energy of flowing water to force a small fraction of that water to a reservoir at a higher level
    lift pump
    pump used to lift rather than force a liquid up
    oil pump
    a pump that keeps a supply of oil on moving parts
    stirrup pump
    a hand-operated reciprocating pump; used in fighting fires
    suction pump
    a pump for raising fluids by suction
    water pump
    the pump in the cooling system of an automobile that cause the water to circulate
    condensation pump, diffusion pump
    vacuum pump used to obtain a high vacuum
    inflater, inflator
    an air pump operated by hand to inflate something (as a tire)
    ion pump
    a vacuum pump that removes gas by ionizing the atoms or molecules and adsorbing them on a metal surface
    stomach pump
    a suction pump used to remove the contents of the stomach
    sump pump
    a suction pump for removing liquid from a sump
    type of:
    mechanical device
    mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles
  2. verb
    draw or pour with a pump
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    type of:
    draw, take out
    take liquid out of a container or well
  3. verb
    raise (gases or fluids) with a pump
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    bring up, elevate, get up, lift, raise
    raise from a lower to a higher position
  4. verb
    operate like a pump; move up and down, like a handle or a pedal
    pump the gas pedal”
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    types:
    goose
    give a spurt of fuel to
    type of:
    handle, manage, wield
    manage or wield effectively
  5. verb
    move up and down
    “The athlete pumps weights in the gym”
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    type of:
    displace, move
    cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
  6. verb
    deliver forth
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    type of:
    blast, shoot
    fire a shot
  7. verb
    supply in great quantities
    Pump money into a project”
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    type of:
    furnish, provide, render, supply
    give something useful or necessary to
  8. verb
    flow intermittently
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    type of:
    gush, spirt, spout, spurt
    gush forth in a sudden stream or jet
  9. verb
    question persistently
    “She pumped the witnesses for information”
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    type of:
    query, question
    pose a question
  10. noun
    the hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body
    synonyms: heart, ticker
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    types:
    athlete's heart
    enlarged heart commonly found among athletes trained for endurance
    biauriculate heart
    a heart (as of mammals and birds and reptiles) having two auricles
    type of:
    internal organ, viscus
    a main organ that is situated inside the body
  11. noun
    a low-cut shoe without fastenings
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    types:
    spectator, spectator pump
    a woman's pump with medium heel; usually in contrasting colors for toe and heel
    type of:
    shoe
    footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
Pronunciation
US

/pəmp/

UK

/pəmp/

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