Idioms for pump
- to increase government expenditure in an effort to stimulate the economy.
- to support or promote the operation or improvement of something.
prime the pump,
pump iron.
iron(def 29).
Origin of pump
1
1400–50; late Middle English
pumpe (noun); cognate with German
Pumpe, Dutch
pomp
OTHER WORDS FROM pump
Words nearby pump
pumelo,
pumice,
pumice country,
pummel,
pummelo,
pump,
pump box,
pump gun,
pump iron,
pump lung,
pump priming
British Dictionary definitions for pump up (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
Word Origin for pump
C15: from Middle Dutch
pumpe pipe, probably from Spanish
bomba, of imitative origin
British Dictionary definitions for pump up (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 up
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 up
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.
Idioms and Phrases with pump up
pump up
Inflate with gas or air, as in This tire needs pumping up. [Late 1800s]
Fill with enthusiasm, strength, and energy, as in The lively debate pumped us all up. Mary Wollstonecraft used this idiom in slightly different form in The Rights of Women (1792): “Lover-like phrases of pumped-up passion.”