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
Overnight on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military, a gas processing facility and pumping station in the Volgograd region of southern Russia were also hit.
—
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Kirby was rolling through five shutout innings, pumping strike after strike past the Tigers.
—The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Mayfield is pumping confidence and grit into his team, and that could be a major reason why Shook has placed the Buccaneers passer over passing yards leader Matthew Stafford, and touchdown leader Jared Goff.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
This washes, sanitizes, and dries bottles, pacifiers, and even pumping equipment hands-free.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
He was also placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which supports patients with failing hearts and lungs by pumping oxygen throughout the body.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Unlike Bacalar, which is relatively new to tourism, Tulum has been transformed from a sleepy backwater into a pumping party town.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
The most problematic reductions in spring flow are from significant groundwater pumping for agricultural irrigation, heavy urban, mining or industrial water use, or in some cases a long-term rainfall deficit.
—Christopher F. Meindl, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
The platform automatically adjusts to shifting wind and wave conditions by pumping water in or out of tanks within its three support columns.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Kirby was rolling through five shutout innings, pumping strike after strike past the Tigers.
—The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Mayfield is pumping confidence and grit into his team, and that could be a major reason why Shook has placed the Buccaneers passer over passing yards leader Matthew Stafford, and touchdown leader Jared Goff.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
This washes, sanitizes, and dries bottles, pacifiers, and even pumping equipment hands-free.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
He was also placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which supports patients with failing hearts and lungs by pumping oxygen throughout the body.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Unlike Bacalar, which is relatively new to tourism, Tulum has been transformed from a sleepy backwater into a pumping party town.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
The most problematic reductions in spring flow are from significant groundwater pumping for agricultural irrigation, heavy urban, mining or industrial water use, or in some cases a long-term rainfall deficit.
—Christopher F. Meindl, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
The platform automatically adjusts to shifting wind and wave conditions by pumping water in or out of tanks within its three support columns.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping
Verb
-
The Sea of Excrement, with its bobbing malefactors, is especially memorable.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Head bobbing and rolling is what causes neck soreness.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The story is wall-to-wall clichés, with the playable bits serving as flashbacks to catch audiences up to the present, where the Marines are interrogating a shady government official about how the world went FUBAR.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of letting our legs carry us aimlessly down the road with our minds interrogating every step, our thumbs pose too simple a question to which our smartphones are pleased to give us too simple an answer.—
Paul Greenberg,
Time,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The region’s cool climate, long sunny days, and well-draining soils create the ideal conditions for producing crisp, aromatic wines with vibrant fruit flavors.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Oct. 2025
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Parents supporting their children’s tuition can now pursue their own degrees without draining family finances.—
Jason Phillips,
Freep.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In doing movements that don’t feel like a workout in the traditional sense but still leave you shaking and sore the next day.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The child who was allegedly attacked on the bus could then be seen in the footage shaking her head multiple times before the video ended.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Pritzker suggested that the Illinois Attorney General and local state’s attorneys may be examining allegations of misconduct and wrongdoing within DHS.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Several films offer immediate responses to critical current events, while others take time to reflect, examining the social realities and challenges shaping people’s lives today.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Eddie is happy to sit in the corner with Shane, sucking on his new veneers, and let the women tear each other to shreds, never getting involved.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The Toronto Blue Jays spent three innings sucking the air out of Yankee Stadium.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sounds like the plot of a tear-jerking movie, no?—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
With an epic Oscar-winning title song by Streisand and tear-jerking scenes aplenty, this film is a perennial favorite and often referred to in pop culture.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Climate activists are now questioning why gas utilities are making this investment.—
NPR,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-questioning youth and survey participants aged 13 to 17 had the poorest mental health and highest risk for suicide, the survey said.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumping. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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