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
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of pumping
If successful, QuantumCT would be eligible to receive roughly $160 million over a decade, pumping considerable federal cash into the state’s effort to build out its quantum economy.
—
P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026
Martín Pérez was on the mound for the home team, a soft-tossing veteran lefty who was pumping in 89-mph sinkers.
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 20 June 2026
America's top amusement parks are introducing a lineup of new record-setting, heart-pumping roller coasters sure to satisfy even the biggest adrenaline junkies.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026
During a phase of sleep called slow-wave, the brain’s vascular system pulses rhythmically, literally pumping cerebrospinal fluid through its innards and washing them clean.
—Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
The Coosa River, full of adrenaline-pumping rapids, snakes through Wetumpka; rent kayaks and paddle boards to traverse it from local outfitter Coosa River Adventures.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 June 2026
The ball went right into the home bullpen, with the Reds’ relief group pumping their fists at a massive 9-0 lead.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
Interestingly, the computer architecture slashed the energy required for cooling by pumping ordinary, room-temperature water straight through the chip’s internal structure.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 June 2026
The adrenaline was clearly still pumping throughout the city as the masses celebrated a feat 53 years in the making.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 14 June 2026
P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026
Martín Pérez was on the mound for the home team, a soft-tossing veteran lefty who was pumping in 89-mph sinkers.
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 20 June 2026
America's top amusement parks are introducing a lineup of new record-setting, heart-pumping roller coasters sure to satisfy even the biggest adrenaline junkies.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026
During a phase of sleep called slow-wave, the brain’s vascular system pulses rhythmically, literally pumping cerebrospinal fluid through its innards and washing them clean.
—Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
The Coosa River, full of adrenaline-pumping rapids, snakes through Wetumpka; rent kayaks and paddle boards to traverse it from local outfitter Coosa River Adventures.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 June 2026
The ball went right into the home bullpen, with the Reds’ relief group pumping their fists at a massive 9-0 lead.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
Interestingly, the computer architecture slashed the energy required for cooling by pumping ordinary, room-temperature water straight through the chip’s internal structure.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 June 2026
The adrenaline was clearly still pumping throughout the city as the masses celebrated a feat 53 years in the making.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping
Verb
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Fascinators — those bobbing bundles often of feathers, flowers and netting perched off-center of the wearer’s head — are banned here.—
Sheena McKenzie,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
Producers like Shungu, QThree, Mike Shabb, and Elsesser himself let their legato phrases repeat ad infinitum, gently bobbing like a dinghy in agitated waters.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Investigators sat across from nearly every young child at Skyline – many of whose nascent, swinging legs could not yet reach the ground from their chairs – interrogating them over their missing classmate.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
-
New York police executing a search warrant raided an LGBTQ+ bar called the Stonewall Inn, and some of the patrons resisted as officers continued interrogating them and bar employees.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Young people didn’t think these types of jobs paid enough money and felt the roles were often more emotionally draining than others.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
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Both handhelds sipped power during Balatro, draining the battery at around 14W and 9W, respectively.—
Jay Peters,
The Verge,
23 June 2026
Verb
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With a quick and creative offensive attack producing goals in front of stadium-shaking home crowds, the Americans have already won their group and booked their place in the knockout round.—
Jim Vertuno,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
-
In a major rupture, strong shaking could cause severe damage near the fault and in areas built on soft or water-saturated soils, which can amplify shaking.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
During the quantum program, Dash worked with Flores and another member of the cohort to develop a project examining how quantum computing could be used to detect the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
22 June 2026
-
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Start by examining the leaves.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Two cherry pickers, with seven workers dressed in full blue protective gear, including ventilation masks, were wielding the kind of vacuum machines designed for asbestos management, sucking the nests from branches roughly 20 meters (65 feet) off the ground.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
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National Park Service workers in waders were sucking up the dead algae strewed along the bottom Wednesday.—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
Verb
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Although not all the novel’s major characters make it to the end of this uplifting yet tear-jerking work of historical fiction, Six-Thirty safely perseveres.—
Camille Perri,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
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Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Conservative critics seized upon those allegations, accusing Hosseini of exerting outsized influence over UF’s presidential search process and questioning whether trustees had exercised independent judgment in selecting Bell.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
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What immediately followed that bright June day were dark months marred by the state’s largest criminal investigation in history coming up empty, police questioning second graders for new leads and mounting legal battles among the Horman family grappling with utter devastation.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumping. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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