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

Trashie has fully acquired Savvy Search AI, a discovery and recommendation search engine, as the recycling and rewards startup pumps up personalization across its platform. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 17 Mar. 2026

After the material is pumped up to the ship, the Metals Company releases it back into the ocean, creating large, muddy underwater plumes. —Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026

The president dropped by a retreat at his Doral golf club to sell the Iran war and pump up Republican lawmakers ahead of the midterm elections. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026

Scammers start out by buying shares of a cheap stock but then convince others to buy big, pumping up the stock's value so the scammers can then sell their shares for huge profits. —Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 10 Mar. 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