Synonyms of pumping

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

• bobbing
• shaking
• jerking
• swaying
• nodding
• jogging
• wagging
• seesawing
• rocking
• jouncing
• swinging
• ducking
• wiggling
• bobbling
• oscillating
• jiggling
• wobbling
• undulating
• dropping

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

• interrogating
• examining
• questioning
• grilling
• quizzing
• sweating
• querying
• catechizing
• picking the brains of
• giving the third degree to
• harassing
• debriefing
• pestering
• hounding
• annoying
• canvassing
• polling
• cross-examining
• cross-questioning

3

as in draining

to remove (liquid) gradually or completely

pumped water from the well

Synonyms & Similar Words

• draining
• sucking
• siphoning
• emptying
• tapping
• bleeding
• drawing (off)
• cleaning
• drafting
• evacuating
• milking
• flushing
• exhausting
• purging
• depleting
• clearing
• vacating
• voiding
• effusing
• vacuating
• decanting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• filling
• wetting
• washing
• soaking
• watering
• bathing
• drenching
• flooding
• dousing
• drowning
• overflowing
• inundating
• sousing
• swamping
• submerging
• deluging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pumping

And in Libya, the national oil company has suspended operations at two oilfields and a pumping station amid protests, according to Reuters. — Spencer Kimball,justina Lee, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Five o’clock Saturday, the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is fist-pumping a half-bewildered but fully enthused home crowd. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Interventions can include removing trees and vegetation or constructing barriers to isolate their roots from the house’s foundations and, at the more extreme and expensive end, underpinning the house by pumping concrete beneath the foundations. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

The arena’s corridors were dotted with blow-up photos of the president in the Oval Office or pumping his fist in the air in Butler. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

The forest, sprawled across the Cascade Mountains’ western slopes, comes with views of peaks like Mount Washington and the Three Sisters, as well as heart-pumping trails. — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2026

Underwood walked out of the locker room and down the tunnel for last week's prime-time kickoff with a music and light show during his energetic entrance, slapping his helmet and pumping his right fist in a demonstrative display of emotion. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026

In its letter, the Bureau of Reclamation cited concerns about restrictions on pumping under the state’s plan. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

For pumping mothers and parents returning to work, the nightly deep-clean routine can become a practical way to prepare for the next 12 to 24 hours. — Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026