# pump

Pronunciation: say "PUMP" /pʌmp/

## Noun

1. A device that moves or compresses a liquid or gas.
   - Simple: A machine that pushes liquid or gas from one place to another.
   - _The basement flooded when the sump pump failed during the storm._
   - _Engineers installed pumps to circulate coolant through the reactor._
4. A device that dispenses a liquid or gas for sale, particularly fuel at a gas station.
   - Simple: A machine at a gas station that puts fuel into your car.
   - _The station replaced its old pumps with models that accept contactless payment._
   - _She swiped her card at the pump and started filling the tank._
5. A women's shoe with a fairly high heel and a low-cut front that leaves the instep bare, especially a stiletto. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: A women's shoe with a high heel that leaves the top of the foot bare.
   - _Classic pumps in a neutral color work with almost any office outfit._
   - _She kicked off one pump under her desk during the long meeting._
6. A single stroke or instance of the action of a pump, or any similar pumping motion.
   - Simple: One push or stroke of a pump, or any movement like it.
   - _Two pumps of the inhaler eased her breathing within minutes._
   - _Each pump of the bellows sent sparks flying from the coals._
12. A condition in which the muscles swell and feel tight after intense weightlifting because more blood flows into them.
   - Simple: The tight, swollen feeling in your muscles right after hard exercise like lifting weights.
   - _Chasing a pump, he finished the workout with high-rep curls._
   - _Forearm pump forced her to rest mid-route, shaking out her arms._
15. The heart. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: The heart: the part of your body that pushes blood around.
   - _He tapped his chest and said his pump had never let him down._
   - _The doctors cleared him to race, saying his pump was as strong as ever._
20. A ride given to a passenger on a bicycle, usually sitting on the handlebars or the fender. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A ride on someone's bicycle where you sit on the handlebars or over the back wheel.
   - _He balanced on the fender while his friend gave him a pump across town._
   - _Kids waited by the gate after school, hoping for a pump on the new bike._
21. A low-top shoe with a rubber sole and a canvas upper. *(British)*
   - Simple: A light, flat shoe with a rubber bottom and a cloth top.
   - _The PE teacher sent home anyone who forgot their pumps._
   - _She slipped off one pump and shook out the gravel._
22. A light, low-cut shoe worn for dancing.
   - Simple: A light shoe that you wear for dancing.
   - _The ballroom dancers wore soft leather pumps that barely whispered across the polished floor._
   - _The costume mistress stitched a loose ribbon back onto the dancer's pump before the show._
23. A flat-soled shoe made without a heel.
   - Simple: A shoe with a flat bottom and no heel.
   - _After hours in heels, she kept a pair of pumps in her bag for the commute._
   - _Her favorite pump has no heel at all, just a thin, flexible sole._

## Verb

2. To work a pump, or to raise, draw, or force water or another liquid with one.
   - Simple: To use a pump, or to move water or another liquid with one.
   - _Crews pump millions of gallons of seawater into the ballast tanks each day._
   - _The old windmill pumped steadily all afternoon, drawing water for the cattle._
3. To fill something with air by means of a pump; to inflate it.
   - Simple: To fill something, like a tire or a ball, with air using a pump.
   - _Lifeguards pump the rescue rafts each morning before the beach opens._
   - _She pumped the air mattress while the kids set up the tent._
7. To inject or pour something into someone or something, in a manner resembling the action of a pump.
   - Simple: To push or pour something into a person or place, the way a pump moves liquid.
   - _The government pumped billions into the failing banks during the crisis._
   - _Stadium speakers pump crowd noise into the arena during practice sessions._
8. To question someone persistently in order to get something out of them, especially information.
   - Simple: To keep asking someone questions to get information from them.
   - _Detectives pumped the witness for hours but learned nothing new._
   - _Rival executives will pump former employees for anything about the launch._
9. To move something rhythmically up and down or back and forth, like the motion of a pump.
   - Simple: To move something up and down or back and forth again and again.
   - _Cyclists pump their legs hardest on the final climb._
   - _He pumped the brake pedal gently to keep the car from skidding._
10. To shake someone's hand vigorously, moving it up and down with enthusiasm.
   - Simple: To shake a person's hand up and down with a lot of energy.
   - _The mayor pumped every hand in the room before taking the stage._
   - _Recruiters pump your hand and promise the world at every job fair._
11. To draw breast milk out with a breast pump.
   - Simple: To take milk out of a breast using a small machine called a breast pump.
   - _Many mothers pump a few ounces each morning to build a freezer supply._
   - _She pumped in the office's lactation room twice a day._
13. To enlarge the body or its muscles through weightlifting or steroid use.
   - Simple: To build a bigger body by lifting weights or taking steroids.
   - _Off-season, the linemen pump relentlessly to add mass before training camp._
   - _He pumped his way from a lanky teenager to a competitive bodybuilder._
14. Of music, to play loud with heavy bass and a driving rhythm; more broadly, to be full of energy. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: To be loud and full of energy, like music with a strong beat.
   - _By eleven, the speakers were pumping and the dance floor was packed._
   - _These new tracks pump even through cheap earbuds._
16. To fire a round from a gun, driving it into or toward something.
   - Simple: To shoot a bullet out of a gun.
   - _The guard pumped a single round into the ceiling to stop the brawl._
   - _Witnesses heard someone pump three shots into the night sky._
17. To load a shell into the chamber of a pump-action shotgun by sliding its mechanism back and forward.
   - Simple: To make a shotgun ready to fire by sliding part of it back and then forward.
   - _She pumped the shotgun, and a fresh shell clicked into place._
   - _Hunters learn to pump smoothly so the next shell loads without jamming._
18. In ball games, to send the ball a long way and high into the air by kicking, throwing, or hitting it.
   - Simple: To kick, throw, or hit a ball very high and far.
   - _Under pressure, the defender pumped the ball deep into the opposing half._
   - _Rugby fullbacks often pump the ball high to give their chasers time to arrive._
19. To inject silicone into the body in an attempt to achieve a fuller or curvier appearance. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To put silicone into the body with a needle to try to look fuller or curvier.
   - _Unlicensed practitioners pump clients with industrial-grade silicone in hotel rooms._
   - _After years of pumping her hips, she needed surgery to remove the hardened silicone._
24. To have sex with; to penetrate sexually, especially with a thrusting motion. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: To have sex with someone.
   - _The lads at the pub cheered when he claimed he'd pumped half the town._
   - _She overheard him telling his mates he planned to pump her sister._
25. In programming, to deliver messages to a running program for it to read and act on.
   - Simple: To send messages into a computer program so the program can act on them.
   - _The main thread pumps messages to every window the application owns._
   - _A desktop application must pump messages constantly, or its interface freezes._
26. To let gas escape from the bowels with little or no noise. *(slang, British)*
   - Simple: To fart quietly, letting out gas without much sound.
   - _The dog got the blame, but everyone knew Grandad had pumped._
   - _He shifted in his seat, trying not to pump during the wedding speech._

## Verb

27. To put a person or part of the body under a stream of water from a pump, either as a punishment or as a form of medical treatment. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To hold someone under the water from a pump, as a punishment or as a treatment.
   - _The mob dragged the pickpocket to the parish well and pumped him until he begged for mercy._
   - _The surgeon directed the attendants to pump the patient's swollen leg with cold water twice a day._

## Noun

28. The vagina. *(obsolete, British)*
   - Simple: The vagina, a woman's sex organ.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 6–20, 24–28** — From Middle English pumpe, possibly from Middle Dutch pompe ("pipe, water conduit") or Middle Low German pumpe ("pump"), and probably ultimately imitative. Compare Dutch pompen, German pumpen, and Danish pompe, as well as Spanish bomba ("pump").
**Meanings 5, 21–23** — The etymology is unclear and disputed. One possibility is that it comes from pomp ("ornamentation"); another is that it refers to the sound the foot makes moving inside the shoe when dancing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates it to the 16th century and calls its origin "obscure." It has also been linked to Dutch pampoesje, possibly from Javanese pampus, ultimately from Persian پاپوش (pâpuš) and Arabic بَابُوش (bābūš).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pump (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).