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
Council Speaker Julie Menin is on the right path to pumping up Fair Fares by increasing the income threshold to participate, making enrollment automatic and even eliminating the fare entirely for some folks.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is pumping up his reelection bid at age 80 by looking jacked in workouts that his critics say are more popular than the man himself.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Taking his place in one of the Broadhurst Theatre’s box seats, DJ Griddlebone wastes no time pumping up the crowd and welcoming all and sundry Jellicles to the stage.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
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
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is pumping up his reelection bid at age 80 by looking jacked in workouts that his critics say are more popular than the man himself.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Taking his place in one of the Broadhurst Theatre’s box seats, DJ Griddlebone wastes no time pumping up the crowd and welcoming all and sundry Jellicles to the stage.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping up
Verb
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On Friday, Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio to victory with a thrilling performance, scoring 39 points on 72% shooting while grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking five shots.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 May 2026
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However many corners of entertainment Cage and company are drawing from, the result is a thrilling universe all its own.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
11 May 2026
Verb
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James Ward During the debate, Republican candidate Steve Hilton said that only a small percentage of California has been developed for housing, arguing that the state should focus on building homes on undeveloped land rather than increasing density in existing cities.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Doing so compresses the light reflected from the plasma, thereby increasing its intensity.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Major Wilson, 17, has been around horses most of his life and now spends much of his time helping younger riders get ready, showing them how to saddle their horses without exciting them.—
Jhair Romero,
Houston Chronicle,
26 Feb. 2026
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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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With revenue-sharing challenges mounting across college athletics — and some schools already cutting sports — expanding the playoff has become a potential financial lifeline.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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According to Abbott's office, the Texas Department of Public Safety is immediately expanding the Texas Repeat Offender Taskforce to the Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin metropolitan areas.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Taylor caught a ball on a slant route and showed his burst of speed, turning on the afterburners to race to the end zone.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
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Kirkwood Southern Style Crispy Fried Chicken Perhaps you, like me, avoid turning on the oven at all costs as soon as the temperature outside hits 85 degrees.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic also warned that highly capable AI models could dramatically improve offensive cyber operations by accelerating vulnerability discovery and attack planning.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
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New research points to a mechanism within the Cascadia fault that could be accelerating a break.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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At equivalent levels of GDP per capita, India is generating more solar electricity, using far less coal and electrifying transport faster than China did.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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For sports fans, especially those worshipful of King Eric, this is pure cinematic cocaine, neatly chopped out, electrifying at first although too much of it could leave you feeling jaded and jangly.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Connecticut’s Alex Karaban also stood out in shooting drills — finishing first in midrange shooting and the 3-point star drill — after boosting his vertical jump by 5½ inches since the 2024 combine.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
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The country is known for collagen-boosting procedures, skin regeneration therapies and advanced laser treatments tied to the global K-beauty movement.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pumping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumping%20up. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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