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 Shaggy was holding a squishy ball between his knees and pumping his arms up and down, making his whole body quiver. —

Natalie Meade, New Yorker, 18 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 The next phase requires pumping the cryostat and vacuum vessel to create high-vacuum conditions. —

Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026 In a dramatic twist, doctors discovered his heart had stopped beating and pumping blood around his body, and Marshall was declared clinically dead. —

Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026 With his own future still unconfirmed, Guardiola could be seen pumping his fists in celebration when Rayan Cherki slipped in the third goal and, after the final whistle, there was a victory walk around the pitch and a lot of affectionate waving and kiss-blowing. —

Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 14 May 2026 On May 13, 2011 — 15 years ago to this day — the popular DC show concluded with a fist-pumping final scene where Clark rips open his shirt to display the iconic Superman logo while John Williams' unmistakable score rings like a battle cry. —

Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 13 May 2026 This is a type of life support that does the work of the heart and lungs, pumping blood outside the body through a machine that oxygenates it using a microporous membrane that allows for gas exchange. —

ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026 The first conclusion is that all groundwater users pumping from the Floridan Aquifer are in part responsible for declining flows at the many hundreds of artesian springs in Florida. —

Robert Knight, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping

Verb

Two of them were bobbing a couple steps ahead for most of the 3,200-meter state championship race Thursday at Jeffco Stadium.

— Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 May 2026
The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor 007 floats quietly at the mouth of Ballona Creek, gently bobbing with the tide.

— Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026