Idioms for pump

    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.
    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

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

1

Inflate with gas or air, as in This tire needs pumping up. [Late 1800s]

2

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.”