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 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 Submarine pumps to arrive from 2028 Graham received the second contract during its fiscal 2027 second quarter, which ends September 30, 2026. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 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 From sharp Christian Louboutin pumps to edgy boots, and plenty of Saint Laurent designs, take a look at more of her standout shoe moments in 2026 below. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 31 July 2026 Zendaya let the gown shine, keeping her accessories simple with her go-to Christian Louboutin So Kate pumps, a Rolex on her left wrist, and two diamond rings, including her engagement sparkler. — Afia Asamoah, InStyle, 24 July 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
  • Defensiveness extends conversations, weakens credibility and drains emotional energy that could have been directed toward solving problems.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Every square inch of land on Earth’s surface receives precipitation, and much of it drains out, eventually, to an ocean or lake.
    — Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of drains
Verb
  • Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Kuomintang (KMT) party leader Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on Friday, April 10, 2026.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Their first and only home exhibition game arrives Friday night, when the Denver Broncos and former Saints coach Sean Payton (shakes fist) pay a preseason visit.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of shakes
Verb
  • An inspection, while not required for the loan, examines the roof, foundation, plumbing and electrical systems and can reveal costly repairs that affect your decision to buy.
    — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The study examines how death rates might be lower if the 2025 hypertension guidelines were implemented during those years, Al-Jarshawi said.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 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
  • Ann Skeet, senior director of leadership ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, also questions what allowing these types of bets says about society.
    — Brady Halbleib, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • In his review of the Greenway, journalist Marty Carlock questions the cohesiveness of the space’s design.
    — Ashley Gardini, JSTOR Daily, 12 Aug. 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 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pumps for Spanish Speakers

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