pump

¹

[ puhmp ]

noun

1. an apparatus or machine for raising, driving, exhausting, or compressing fluids or gases by means of a piston, plunger, or set of rotating vanes.
2. Engineering, Building Trades. a shore having a jackscrew in its foot for adjusting the length or for bearing more firmly against the structure to be sustained.
3. Biology. an animal organ that propels fluid through the body; heart.
4. Cell Biology. a system that supplies energy for transport against a chemical gradient, as the sodium pump for the transfer of sodium and potassium ions across a cell membrane.

verb (used with object)

1. to raise, drive, etc., with a pump.
2. to free from water or other liquid by means of a pump.
3. to inflate by pumping (often followed by up ):

   to pump a tire up.

4. to operate or move by an up-and-down or back-and-forth action.
5. to supply with air, as an organ, by means of a pumplike device.
6. to drive, force, etc., as if from a pump:

   He rapidly pumped a dozen shots into the bull's-eye.

7. to supply or inject as if by using a pump:

   to pump money into a failing business.

8. to question artfully or persistently to elicit information:

   to pump someone for confidential information.

9. to elicit (information) by questioning.

verb (used without object)

1. to work a pump; raise or move water, oil, etc., with a pump.
2. to operate as a pump does.
3. to move up and down like a pump handle.
4. to exert oneself in a manner likened to pumping:

   He pumped away at his homework all evening.

5. to seek to elicit information from a person.
6. to come out in spurts.

verb phrase

1. 1. to inflate.
   2. to increase, heighten, or strengthen; put more effort into or emphasis on; intensify:

      The store has decided to pump up its advertising.

   3. to infuse with enthusiasm, competitive spirit, energy, etc.:

      The contestants were all backstage pumping themselves up for their big moment.

pump

²

[ puhmp ]

noun

1. a lightweight, low-cut shoe without fastenings for women.
2. a slip-on black patent leather shoe for men, for wear with formal dress.

pump

¹

/ pʌmp /

noun

1. a low-cut low-heeled shoe without fastenings, worn esp for dancing
2. a type of shoe with a rubber sole, used in games such as tennis; plimsoll

pump

²

/ pʌmp /

noun

1. any device for compressing, driving, raising, or reducing the pressure of a fluid, esp by means of a piston or set of rotating impellers
2. biology a mechanism for the active transport of ions, such as protons, calcium ions, and sodium ions, across cell membranes

   a sodium pump

verb

1. whentr, usually foll by from, out, into, away, etc to raise or drive (air, liquid, etc, esp into or from something) with a pump or similar device
2. tr; usually foll by in or into to supply in large amounts

   to pump capital into a project

3. tr to deliver (shots, bullets, etc) repeatedly with great force
4. to operate (something, esp a handle or lever) in the manner of a pump or (of something) to work in this way

   to pump the pedals of a bicycle

5. tr to obtain (information) from (a person) by persistent questioning
6. intr; usually foll by from or out of (of liquids) to flow freely in large spurts

   oil pumped from the fissure

pump

/ pŭmp /

1. A device used to raise or transfer fluids. Most pumps function either by compression or suction.
2. A molecular mechanism for the active transport of ions or molecules across a cell membrane.

Other Words From

• pumpa·ble adjective
• pumpless adjective
• pumplike adjective
• un·pumpa·ble adjective
• un·pumped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pump¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English noun pumpe, pompe; cognate with German Pumpe, Dutch pomp

Origin of pump²

First recorded in 1720–30; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of pump¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of pump²

C15: from Middle Dutch pumpe pipe, probably from Spanish bomba, of imitative origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. prime the pump,
   1. to increase government expenditure in an effort to stimulate the economy.
   2. to support or promote the operation or improvement of something.
2. pump iron. iron ( def 29 ).

Example Sentences

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will later pump the water from wells, and after additional testing and treatment, the water will enter pipes and be delivered to taps.

From Los Angeles Times

The city built part of the infrastructure, including the pipeline and pump stations, in the 1990s, but the effort was derailed in 2000 when debate erupted over what opponents and newspaper headlines called a “toilet-to-tap” project.

From Los Angeles Times

Firefighters used four water bowsers, two aerial ladder platforms, and a high volume pump to tackle the flames.

From BBC

There’s the Get a Heat Pump website, launched by the charities Nesta and The MCS Foundation, which explains what heat pumps are and how they might fit into a home renovation plan.

From BBC

Perseverance during the past three years paid off, however, and the couple’s 1930’s detached house now has improved insulation, a heat pump, and an electric car charging point.

From BBC

Related Words

• drain
• draw
• inject
• pour
• push
• send
• siphon
• supply
• tap