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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 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 Scoop it up for half-off, then pick up these Jeffrey Campbell pumps and a pretty clutch to complete the look. — Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 The heart pumps resources, money, services, attention, out to every neighborhood. — Lisa Nee, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 Adventure seekers will want to check out the park’s 39-foot-tall body slides or try surfing the Pipeline, which pumps 48,645 gallons of water per minute. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026 The teen was using an apparatus called a third lung, which floats on the water's surface and pumps air to divers through a breathing hose, the affidavit said. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026 There is also a prototype pair of red Valentino Garavani Rockstud pumps identical to those worn by Streep in the film’s trailer. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026 For instance, the Colorado River water that CAP pumps to the cities is relatively clean and requires less purification in municipal treatment plants than what comes out of some groundwater basins or down the Salt River. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 6 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
  • Multiple saunas and cold plunge pools sit alongside hot pools right on deck, and the whole thing bobs gently while the harbor traffic goes by, which somehow makes the ritual feel more honest than any five-star spa could.
    — Winston Ross, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • From a fringed mullet, to a blonde buzz cut, bobs in various lengths, micro bangs, and even a shade of citrus—Kristen Stewart’s looks are always executed with an edge.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 July 2026
Definition of bobs
Verb
  • One day scholars will teach Lepore’s work alongside Arendt’s, seeing that Lepore interrogates not simply a modern moment, but traces our current machine age back to the 17th-century conceit for artifice as improvement.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • Writer-director Ari Aster interrogates not just the social and political turmoil of COVID-19, but also the way social media can exacerbate that unraveling of collective neuroses.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
Definition of interrogates
Verb
  • While voters’ choices have been, more often than not, defensible, the unanimity betrays a lack of imagination and drains any hint of drama from the ceremony.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Beijing is quite happy, for now at least, to watch as the US drains its treasure policing the world’s sea lanes, keeping transnational drug gangs and fraudsters in check, and maintaining global financial stability.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of drains
Verb
  • The Heat could opt to be patient with the 15th standard contract slot and wait to see who shakes free on the buyout market in January and February.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
  • While operating, Joseph shakes off the space madness by recalling La’an’s advice.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of shakes
Verb
  • The report also examines specific price moves from the Texas Senate primary contests.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Rendering examines how artificial intelligence is disrupting the entertainment industry, taking you inside key battlegrounds and spotlighting change-makers wielding the technology for good and ill.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 3 Sep. 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
  • The piece questions the company's focus on alternative earnings metrics excluding amortization and its squishy customer retention.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The group questions the efficacy and safety of childhood vaccines.
    — Isabella Cueto, STAT, 14 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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