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 costume is the perfect excuse to dig out your skinny jeans, going-out top and pumps for a throwback to the aughts—a scary thought in itself. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026 Hilton has made the promise of $3 a gallon gasoline at California’s pumps a central plank of his affordability campaign. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 He was attached to a heart-lung machine, a life-support device that pumps a patient’s blood outside the body, via tubes placed into his sternum. — Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 27 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
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
  • Those surpluses initially built a miniscule reserve into a record-setting one, but they mainly have been used to shrink Connecticut’s hefty pension debt, a $30 billion-plus problem that still drains resources from other programs.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Since 2024, the Kanta Keepers cooperative has become integral to transporting waste between retailers and upcyclers, to maximize value and profit on every front, while improving flood resilience by keeping aisles and drains clear of waste.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of drains
Verb
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) during the signing ceremony on May 20, 2026 in Beijing, China.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Protein shakes, such as those made with whey protein, may support weight loss by increasing satiety and helping preserve lean muscle mass during a calorie deficit.
    — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of shakes
Verb
  • The bipartisan panel, established in 2023 under GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, examines US competition with China, including issues involving technology transfers and export controls.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • According to the clinic, their surgical model is doctor-led; the doctor who examines the patient draws the plan and the hairline, opens the channels, and stays in the operating room with the team throughout the procedure.
    — Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 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
  • In it, Reed questions American policy, surveillance, and patriotism across a landscape that juxtaposes scenes of Black youth playing with closing shots of the singer’s silhouette backdropped by flames.
    — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The case questions whether religious schools can refuse admission to children of gay and trans parents, which would violate a state law against discrimination.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Nov. 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 11 Nov. 2026.

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