pumping

verb

present participle of pump
1
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements the thighs of the bicyclists were pumping furiously as they neared the finish line

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in interrogating
to put a series of questions to prying neighbors pumped the guileless child for information about the family's new pool

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in draining
to remove (liquid) gradually or completely pumped water from the well

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pumping McDougal was pumping gas when three masked gunmen ran at him, firing numerous shots. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 July 2026 Among the projects envisioned throughout the development are a widened Todd George Parkway, sewer pumping plants and lines, and water mains. — Nathan Pilling july 9, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026 Pitching in the rotation spot vacated when Randy Vásquez went on the IL with a right ankle bruise, Márquez overcame a 31-pitch first inning and was able to walk off the mound four innings later pumping his fist after throwing just 51 more. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026 Analysts at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs warned last week that the market could be heading for a glut next year if producers continue pumping without consideration of demand. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026 So Saudi Arabia lacks the same incentive to start pumping oil like crazy. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 July 2026 The second bypass line was expected to start pumping following testing, city officials said in their Thursday update. — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 5 July 2026 Reasonable people can debate whether Europe is better off pumping some of its own rather than importing every barrel, and amid a run of Middle East supply shocks, that energy-security case is not frivolous. — Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 Conversations struck up while pumping gas or waiting for coffee. — Divia Thani, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping
  1. bobbing
  2. interrogating
  3. draining
  4. shaking
  5. examining
  6. sucking
  7. jerking
  8. questioning
Verb
  • Countless trees were felled and taken to Eugene for processing in mills or floated up the Willamette to Portland, the sawn trunks chained together in massive, bobbing rafts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • While the lights themselves aren’t drawing in spiders, the moths, gnats, mosquitoes, and mayflies bobbing around the lights do.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 July 2026
Definition of bobbing
Verb
  • Consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable interrogating formulations rather than simply admiring them, and that changes the relationship between brand and buyer in ways the industry is only beginning to understand.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • But the filmmaker proves more interested in interrogating that ethos than recreating it, and few horror mythologies are better suited to exploring betrayal and regret than one built around the refusal to let the dead remain dead.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026
Definition of interrogating
Verb
  • But if the drain line is clogged or the drain pan is not tilted appropriately, then this could prevent the moisture from draining away.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 10 July 2026
  • Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency oversees the National Park Service, told conservative podcaster Katie Miller in an interview released earlier this week that the new round of draining was planned.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Structure information summary Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist.
    — CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2026
  • Honestly, some of these systems still leave me shaking my head.
    — Demetri Giannikopoulos, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • So traders looking to get an edge began closely examining Ronaldo’s long, storied career for evidence of crying.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • This premise, though intuitive, rests on an assumption worth examining, which is that a device only competes for the mind’s resources when it is actively being used.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of examining
Verb
  • The groan-shout of sweaty irritation that rose from our bench was life-sucking, and also far too familiar.
    — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 8 July 2026
  • According to Levine, no attempt should be made to remove the venom yourself, whether by sucking on the wound or cutting it.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of sucking
Verb
  • Watching their relationship devolve (never more so than when their sperm donor, a rakish, motorcycle-driving restaurant owner played by Mark Ruffalo, enters the scene) is most definitely a tear-jerking experience, as is the film’s final scene.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026
  • Some were petty — like Reese committing a foul against Clark, then jerking her head back, impersonating Clark as a flopper.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of jerking
Verb
  • Blurring the boundaries between reality and delusion, psychological horror explores the mind in all its complexity, often leaving audiences questioning their own perceptions.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 July 2026
  • As the collection makes clear, Aviv prefers restless questioning to closure or complacency.
    — Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of questioning

Browse Nearby Words

pump-faking
pumping
pumping up
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Cite this Entry

“Pumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumping. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pumping for Spanish Speakers

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