PUMPING Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

pumping

verb

present participle of pump

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

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

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 The impacts of pumping take years, maybe decades to be fully manifested. —

Allen Best, Denver Post, 14 June 2026 Fans decked out in Knicks merchandise filled the streets, subways and office towers with a sea of blue and orange, often fist-pumping strangers with all feeling buoyed by the Knicks pinch-me moments on the march to the championship prize. —

Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 14 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 Existing attempts to miniaturize these pumping systems often involve compromises, such as rigid mechanical components, high operating voltages, complex fabrication processes, or sacrifices in pumping performance. —

New Atlas, 12 June 2026 Like all of the film’s most fist-pumping setpieces, of which there are several, the getaway brawl is a fevered array of different fighting styles that smash into each other like concrete blocks to create something faintly new. —

David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 June 2026 Lincoln-Sudbury led 9-2 at halftime as Dooley continued to shine, adding three more goals, pumping his first-half total up to five. —

Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026 One fan sitting just behind Williams’ family literally screamed with excitement, pumping her fist in the air and turning to hype up the crowd. —

Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 June 2026 This allows the heart to keep pumping without getting fatigued. —

Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping

Verb

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
The strips are piled high in plastic bins, sprawled over tables and fed underneath bobbing needles.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 6 June 2026