pump up
verb
pumped up; pumping up; pumps up
1
a
: to fill with enthusiasm or excitement
b
: to fill with or as if with air : inflate
2
Synonyms
Examples of pump up in a Sentence
the crowd was pumped up by the band's rocking performance
that pop diva is trying to pump up album sales with an extended publicity tour
Recent Examples on the Web
Regulators said Berman posted over 1,000 messages on the iHUB message board to pump up the stock price.
—
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2024
There are some solid reasons to want to pump up your push-up skills in the first place.
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 2 Apr. 2024
Massive lottery jackpots have become more common in recent years as lottery officials adjust game rules and ticket prices to pump up the top prizes.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
If this Silicon Valley A.I. gathering was intended to pump up passions for spending, dreaming and investing, whatever the risks or costs, the second meeting, in Washington, was devoted to curbing unwarranted financial enthusiasm.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Neumann’s prior role at WeWork — which pumped up the company’s value to $47 billion prior to the company’s November 2023 bankruptcy — makes his return unpalatable to investors.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The companies going public that year, pumped up by exuberance over the young internet, saw their share prices jump 71% on average during the first day of trading.
—The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024
That user predicted members of WallStreetBets—a group of Redditors who infamously organized during the pandemic to briefly send the stocks of troubled companies like GameStop soaring—could pump up Reddit’s share price immediately after the IPO.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
The series, part of a larger drive by the city to pump up public art and entertainment offerings at Fulton, Civic Center and UN plazas, is slated to offer free shows from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays through August.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2024
There are some solid reasons to want to pump up your push-up skills in the first place.
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 2 Apr. 2024
Massive lottery jackpots have become more common in recent years as lottery officials adjust game rules and ticket prices to pump up the top prizes.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
If this Silicon Valley A.I. gathering was intended to pump up passions for spending, dreaming and investing, whatever the risks or costs, the second meeting, in Washington, was devoted to curbing unwarranted financial enthusiasm.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Neumann’s prior role at WeWork — which pumped up the company’s value to $47 billion prior to the company’s November 2023 bankruptcy — makes his return unpalatable to investors.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The companies going public that year, pumped up by exuberance over the young internet, saw their share prices jump 71% on average during the first day of trading.
—The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024
That user predicted members of WallStreetBets—a group of Redditors who infamously organized during the pandemic to briefly send the stocks of troubled companies like GameStop soaring—could pump up Reddit’s share price immediately after the IPO.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
The series, part of a larger drive by the city to pump up public art and entertainment offerings at Fulton, Civic Center and UN plazas, is slated to offer free shows from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays through August.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pump up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near pump up
Cite this Entry
“Pump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pump%20up. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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