pump.
A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.
Meaning & usage
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.
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.
Where this word 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”).
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.
I've pumped over 1000 gallons of water in the last ten minutes.
To inject or pour (something) into someone or something in a manner similar to a pump.
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.
To gain something, especially information, from (a person) by persistent questioning.
To have sex with; to sexually penetrate, especially with a thrusting motion.
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.
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.
Last night's party was really pumping.
To kick, throw, or hit the ball far and high.
To pass gas; to fart quietly.
To pass (messages) into a program so that it can obey them.
To inject silicone into the body in order to try to achieve a fuller or curvier look.
To fire a bullet from a firearm.
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.
Where this word 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”).
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.
A dancing shoe.
A type of shoe without a heel.
Where this word 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).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.