pump

[ puhmp ]

/ pʌmp /

noun

an apparatus or machine for raising, driving, exhausting, or compressing fluids or gases by means of a piston, plunger, or set of rotating vanes.

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.

Biology. an animal organ that propels fluid through the body; heart.

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)

to raise, drive, etc., with a pump.

to free from water or other liquid by means of a pump.

to inflate by pumping (often followed by up): to pump a tire up.

to operate or move by an up-and-down or back-and-forth action.

to supply with air, as an organ, by means of a pumplike device.

to drive, force, etc., as if from a pump: He rapidly pumped a dozen shots into the bull's-eye.

to supply or inject as if by using a pump: to pump money into a failing business.

to question artfully or persistently to elicit information: to pump someone for confidential information.

to elicit (information) by questioning.

verb (used without object)

to work a pump; raise or move water, oil, etc., with a pump.

to operate as a pump does.

to move up and down like a pump handle.

to exert oneself in a manner likened to pumping: He pumped away at his homework all evening.

to seek to elicit information from a person.

to come out in spurts.

Verb Phrases

pump up,

to inflate.
to increase, heighten, or strengthen; put more effort into or emphasis on; intensify: The store has decided to pump up its advertising.
to infuse with enthusiasm, competitive spirit, energy, etc.: The contestants were all backstage pumping themselves up for their big moment.

Idioms for pump

prime the pump,

to increase government expenditure in an effort to stimulate the economy.
to support or promote the operation or improvement of something.

pump iron. iron(def 29).

Origin of pump

1400–50; late Middle English pumpe (noun); cognate with German Pumpe, Dutch pomp

OTHER WORDS FROM pump

pump·a·ble, adjective pump·less, adjective pump·like, adjective un·pump·a·ble, adjective

un·pumped, adjective

Words nearby pump

pumelo, pumice, pumice country, pummel, pummelo, pump, pump box, pump gun, pump iron, pump lung, pump priming

Definition for pump (2 of 2)

pump ²

[ puhmp ]

/ pʌmp /

noun

a lightweight, low-cut shoe without fastenings for women.

a slip-on black patent leather shoe for men, for wear with formal dress.

Origin of pump

First recorded in 1720–30; origin uncertain

ABOUT THIS WORD

What else does pump mean?

Content warning: this article contains references to guns.

Among many other slang senses, pump is short for pump-action shotgun, a type of shotgun that requires the user to change the shell with a pumping-like action.

Where does pump come from?

Pump-action guns, or slide-action guns, date back to the late 19th century. The shortened pump is found on Urban Dictionary by 2003.

Pump has notably been used in rap songs, including Cardi B’s 2017 “Bartier Cardi.” Her lyrics refer to a shotgun she, apparently, keeps in the trunk of her car.

Earlier, pump appeared on rapper The Game’s 2011 “Heavy Artillery”: “Take em back to Boyz in da Hood when I pull the pump out / Something like C-Murder on Worldstar when I dump out.”

First-person shooter (FPS) video games frequently include a pump shotgun weapon, which players often shorten to pump. Games like Destiny, Halo, Call of Duty, and Fortnite, all very popular in the 2000s, have featured pumps.

How is pump used in real life?

Rappers often use pump in their lyrics. Besides Cardi B and The Game, Offset and Fat Joe have each also used pump in their lyrics, usually in an intimidating way.

The only people who probably use pump more than rappers are gun lovers, hunters, and also gamers. Since pump shotguns are common in most FPS games and are generally powerful close range weapons, gamers talk about them a lot.

Looks like our sign-in services might've gotten double-ramp double-wall rushed into submission. Luckily, our engineers are build-gods and are working to get the high ground on these noobs. Please bear with us as we try and get this dub. (like if you miss double-pump)

— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) October 30, 2018

It is now confirmed, pickaxes do more damage than pumps. pic.twitter.com/8Jg2kMEqQc

— FaZe Thiefs (@Thiefs) November 14, 2018

Some interesting trivia: Ever notice pumps being used a lot in movies? That’s because they don’t need to be modified to shoot blanks like other guns do.

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

Example sentences from the Web for pump

Some are homes and some are pump houses, and you can only tell the difference when you see human silhouettes scurry on rooftops.

Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq |Nathan Bradley Bethea |August 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
To accommodate patients getting chemotherapy at odd hours, Hrushesky used a pump that operated automatically.

How Big Pharma Holds Back in the War on Cancer |ProPublica |April 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Dylan, age 18, says his favorite pre-date ritual is to pump his ego.

17 Terrible Pieces of Advice from ‘Seventeen’s’ Ultimate Guide to Guys |Erin Cunningham |January 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Xi will continue to walk tall on the world stage and to pump Chinese nationalism, especially against the old enemy, Japan.

The Person of 2013 Is… Xi Jinping |Jonathan Fenby |December 31, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

We invented a trusted magical figure, turned him into a home wrecker, and pump those lyrics into the backseat all December long.

How Santa Hurts Christmas |Candida Moss |December 23, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Dot herself hated working the pump—it blistered her little hands.

An Australian Lassie |Lilian Turner
The best position for the pump is facing the head of the ladder, and about six feet from it.

Torpedoes and Torpedo Warfare |C. W. Sleeman
They all then left the barn, and William went to wash his nose at the pump.

The Fairchild Family |Mary Martha Sherwood
There are 91 suction and 91 delivery valves at each end of the pump.

Scientific American Supplement, No. 492, June 6, 1885 |Various
Supplied by one injector and one pump, or two brass pumps, with valves and cages of best hard metal accurately fitted.

Illustrated Catalogue of Locomotives |M. Baird, et. al..

British Dictionary definitions for pump (1 of 2)

pump ¹

/ (pʌmp) /

noun

any device for compressing, driving, raising, or reducing the pressure of a fluid, esp by means of a piston or set of rotating impellers

biology a mechanism for the active transport of ions, such as protons, calcium ions, and sodium ions, across cell membranes a sodium pump

verb

(when tr, 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

(tr; usually foll by in or into) to supply in large amounts to pump capital into a project

(tr) to deliver (shots, bullets, etc) repeatedly with great force

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

(tr) to obtain (information) from (a person) by persistent questioning

(intr; usually foll by from or out of) (of liquids) to flow freely in large spurts oil pumped from the fissure

Word Origin for pump

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

British Dictionary definitions for pump (2 of 2)

pump ²

/ (pʌmp) /

noun

a low-cut low-heeled shoe without fastenings, worn esp for dancing

a type of shoe with a rubber sole, used in games such as tennis; plimsoll

Word Origin for pump

C16: of unknown origin

Medical definitions for pump

pump

[ pŭmp ]

n.

A machine or device for raising, compressing, or transferring fluids.

A molecular mechanism for the active transport of ions or molecules across a cell membrane.

v.

To raise or cause to flow by means of a pump.

To transport ions or molecules against a concentration gradient by the expenditure of chemically stored energy.

Scientific definitions for pump

pump

[ pŭmp ]

A device used to raise or transfer fluids. Most pumps function either by compression or suction.

A molecular mechanism for the active transport of ions or molecules across a cell membrane.

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