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 Though the region remains relatively underexplored, recent finds have benefited from companies’ access to oil infrastructure and expertise built over decades at nearby Prudhoe Bay, the Alaska oil field that began pumping crude into TAPS in 1977. —

Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Fortune, 24 May 2026 The Sacramento Teachers Association is spending big to try to get two candidates on the Sacramento County Board of Education board, while the California Charter Schools Association is pumping money into their opponents. —

Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026 Things get clubbier in the basement Music Room, all red velvet with an indoor-outdoor bar for smokers and a modelesque DJ playing pumping house on our visit. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026 This likely can’t be done before the embryo is in place, as simply pumping more material into the yolk would likely cause the membrane enclosing it to burst. —

ArsTechnica, 20 May 2026 Ukraine, meanwhile, continued its aerial campaign against Russia’s vital oil industry, with the General Staff reporting its drones struck a major Russian oil refinery and a pipeline pumping station overnight. —

ABC News, 20 May 2026 Atlanta is getting a new indoor theme park off Spaghetti Junction with over 50,000 square feet of space for adrenaline-pumping activities like a 35-foot slide, airbag obstacle courses, trampolines, sports courts and carnival-style rides. —

Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 20 May 2026 Pérez yelled twice before pumping his fist and walking back to the dugout to an ovation from his teammates. —

Jesús Cano, New York Times, 20 May 2026 Those are the longest plaudits of the festival, though Refn and cast were doing some cheerleading and pumping the crowd up after the lights went up, which likely prolonged the celebration. —

Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping

Verb

During the parade, various NYYC members will be tooling around the Hudson, bobbing among the fleet.

— Paige Darrah, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
The series welcomes us into its world every week with a peppy pinball alien girl, bobbing and weaving her way through the myriad challenges of everyday life, never failing to arrive at her intended destination.

— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 20 May 2026