pump up

verb

pumped up; pumping up; pumps up

transitive verb

1

a

: to fill with enthusiasm or excitement

b

: to fill with or as if with air : inflate

2

: increase sense 1

Synonyms of pump up

• thrill
• excite
• turn on
• electrify

Examples of pump up in a Sentence

the crowd was pumped up by the band's rocking performance

that pop diva is trying to pump up album sales with an extended publicity tour

Recent Examples on the Web

Gas purchases pump up retail sales A separate report from the Commerce Department Thursday showed that Americans slowed their spending in September. — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

But when the sun peeked out, Michael’s dad Lee Phillips decided to pump up the pumpkin, complete with its classic black triangular eyes and a lopsided grin. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

The lab then uses the money in part to buy services from—and thus pump up the earnings of—the hyperscaler. — Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026

Swift, who was wearing a Chiefs tank top at Sunday night’s game, didn’t need to be well-versed in football to get pumped up when Kelce scored a touchdown. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for pump up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup