pumps

verb

present tense third-person singular of pump
1
as in bobs
to make short up-and-down movements the thighs of the bicyclists were pumping furiously as they neared the finish line

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in interrogates
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 drains
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 pumps Using electrodes in its pull-up handle, the scale tracks more than 60 metrics, now including hypertension risk and how efficiently the heart pumps blood—a first for a home scale, according to Withings. — Eliza Thompson, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Other pieces for Middleton’s Belfast look included a set of Gianvito Rossi pumps in black leather, along with a green Mulberry top-handle handbag. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Petrobras pumps mostly medium-sweet crude from this pre-salt layer. — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 Usha Vance, meanwhile, chose a cobalt-blue, high-neck silk dress by Saloni with Manolo Blahnik pumps. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026 Kardashian added on a cropped jacket, completing her look with shield sunglasses and snakeskin Christian Louboutin pumps. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 16 Sep. 2026 Heart chamber walls change their shape, altering how the heart pumps blood. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 15 Sep. 2026 The first uses a special rig that pumps sCO₂ through real downhole equipment under realistic conditions. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026 The Pod sits atop your mattress and connects to a hub that pumps heated or cooled water through internal tubing, with each side of the bed running its own heat zone. — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumps
  1. bobs
  2. interrogates
  3. drains
  4. shakes
  5. examines
  6. siphons
  7. jerks
  8. questions
Verb
  • According to Calavante, bobs need a trimming every six to eight weeks to maintain their shape.
    — Sarah Madaus, InStyle, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Onstage at this diverse block party of young and old in Malcolm X shirts and backward Jamaican flag hats, Elsesser bobs his head as if lost in thought.
    — Jeff Weiss, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of bobs
Verb
  • The movie’s take on Holmes directly interrogates the person to try to uncover the facts.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Wright also interrogates the boundary between severe mental illness and evil, and wonders whether, even in extreme cases, redemption might be possible.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of interrogates
Verb
  • The weak low-end response drains some instruments of their heft.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Constantly saying 'yes' to everything and everyone drains us of time and energy.
    — Margaret Cirino, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of drains
Verb
  • Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli (2) shakes hands with guard Jake West (3) in the second half of a Big Ten Tournament game against Purdue on March, 12, 2026, at the United Center.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Then the shuttle appears on screen, the music swells and the room shakes with the tearing, rumbling force of a launch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of shakes
Verb
  • The Associated Press’ reporting on the return to analog experiences examines how people across generations are finding comfort and connection through tangible activities and older technologies.
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Available as a Chrome or Microsoft Edge extension, Caveat examines responses and surfaces an overall assessment, key findings, important caveats, and points worth verifying.
    — StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of examines
Verb
  • Constantly landing on jokes — like in its portrayal of Lockjaw and his efforts to become a member of the Christmas Adventurers Club, a powerful white-supremacists faction — siphons a sense of urgency from the film’s sketches of American unrest and white male violence.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
  • The filing comes days after Spotify was accused in another class action lawsuit of permitting massive amounts of streaming fraud on its platform, which siphons royalties from artists whose numbers aren’t artificially inflated.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Definition of siphons
Verb
  • In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Definition of jerks
Verb
  • What Schrödinger wrote In his three-page manuscript, Schrondinger questions the restriction built into Whittaker’s reasoning and wonders why hidden variables had only two possible values.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The ad, which attacks the Democratic gubernatorial candidate and questions her mental health, has widened Republican divisions as Ohio’s governor and Senate races tighten.
    — Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of questions

Browse Nearby Words

pumping up
pumps
pumps up
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Cite this Entry

“Pumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumps. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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