1
as in thrilling
to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings of
the crowd was pumped up by the band's rocking performance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in increasing
to make greater in size, amount, or number
that pop diva is trying to pump up album sales with an extended publicity tour
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pumping up
Scammers start out by buying shares of a cheap stock but then convince others to buy big, pumping up the stock's value so the scammers can then sell their shares for huge profits.
—
Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
War has always been a time for propaganda, of demonizing the enemy and pumping up your side.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Each one of the over 300 locations had to be 300 times less likely to fail than if there had been only one, pumping up the design, manufacturing and testing requirements – and inflating the cost.
—Martin Elvis, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2026
True, pumping up the dosage can give women an almost euphoric high, Christmas says.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 25 Dec. 2025
Different members took turns pumping up the team.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
That combination of offering greater value to consumers while pumping up a long-dormant marketing muscle is the sort of thing upon which a movement may be founded.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Springsteen was reportedly a frequent visitor on the set of Deliver Me From Nowhere — undoubtedly pumping up the extras, and presumably stressing out the actors.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
August 20, 2025 – Bryan Danielson pumping up the crowd on AEW Dynamite.
—Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
War has always been a time for propaganda, of demonizing the enemy and pumping up your side.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Each one of the over 300 locations had to be 300 times less likely to fail than if there had been only one, pumping up the design, manufacturing and testing requirements – and inflating the cost.
—Martin Elvis, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2026
True, pumping up the dosage can give women an almost euphoric high, Christmas says.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 25 Dec. 2025
Different members took turns pumping up the team.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
That combination of offering greater value to consumers while pumping up a long-dormant marketing muscle is the sort of thing upon which a movement may be founded.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Springsteen was reportedly a frequent visitor on the set of Deliver Me From Nowhere — undoubtedly pumping up the extras, and presumably stressing out the actors.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
August 20, 2025 – Bryan Danielson pumping up the crowd on AEW Dynamite.
—Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping up
Verb
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Skenes and the Team USA bullpen led the team to a thrilling 2-1 win.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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The Panthers were certainly on the right side of chance with a thrilling state semifinal victory over Duncanville.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the biggest concerns for consumers is that an increasing number of data centers could hit them financially.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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Among those saying the deal doesn’t go far enough are Ticketmaster competitors who have had to offer increasing protections for venues that chose them over Live Nation.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For Harrington and her husband Dante, the thought of triplets was shocking but exciting all the same.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In practice, that means the Commission is wary of big mergers, unless they are paired with social taxes — protecting jobs, expanding network coverage in poorer areas and ensuring the Black majority benefits.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
20 Mar. 2026
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OpenAI has spent the last few years expanding its tools into standalone products.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His comments caused a stir Wednesday from pro-Israel advocates who felt Newsom was turning on their interests.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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Prioritize visibility Enhance your visibility in heavy rain by turning on your headlights.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This backlog underscores Patel’s assertion about the accelerating threat.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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The idea is to use those models to identify patterns across genes and ecosystems that would be difficult for humans to detect—potentially accelerating discoveries in areas like drug development.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But electrifying parts of its economy with renewables has reduced its reliance on imports.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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Teyana Taylor is electrifying in the first act of One Battle After Another as the character who sets out the dramatic stakes, and her Golden Globes speech was a highlight of this awards season.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The vast majority was spent by a pro-cryptocurrency PAC, Fairshake, on ads attacking Stratton, but some was also spent on ads supporting Krishnamoorthi and, in an effort to drive Black voters away from Stratton, boosting Kelly.—
Dan Petrella,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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According to internal documents, the agency is planning to buy and retrofit 24 commercial warehouses, boosting its detention capacity to more than 92,000 beds in a matter of months.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pumping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumping%20up. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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