Pump Definition

pŭmp
pumped, pumping, pumps
noun
pumps
Any of various machines that force a liquid or gas into or through, or draw it out of, something, as by suction or pressure.
Webster's New World
A molecular mechanism for the active transport of ions or molecules across a cell membrane.
American Heritage
The heart.
Webster's New World
Electromagnetic radiation used to raise atoms or molecules to a higher energy level.
American Heritage
A low-cut shoe without straps or ties; esp., such a woman's shoe with a moderate to high heel.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
verb
pumped, pumping, pumps
To cause to flow by means of a pump or pumplike organ or device.
Derricks pumped oil out of the ground. The heart pumps blood throughout the body.
American Heritage Medicine
To raise or move water, etc. with a pump.
Webster's New World
To remove water, etc. from, as with a pump.
Webster's New World
To force in, draw out, drive, move up and down, pour forth, etc. by means of a pump or as a pump does.
Webster's New World
To move up and down or go by moving up and down like a pump handle or piston.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
idiom
pump iron
  • To lift weights.
American Heritage
pump iron
  • to exercise with weights
Webster's New World
pump up
  • to inflate (a tire, ball, etc.) with air
  • to fill with confidence, enthusiasm, etc.
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Pump

Noun

Singular:
pump
Plural:
pumps

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Pump

Origin of Pump

  • The etymology of the term is unclear and disputed. One possibility is that it comes from "Pomp" (i.e. ornamentation), claimed in Skeat & Skeat's A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (ISBN 9781596050921), and another is that it refers to the sound made by the foot moving inside the shoe when dancing, suggested as a probable source in Chambers's etymological dictionary (James Donald - Published by W. and R. Chambers, 1867). The Oxford English Dictionary claims that it appeared in the 16th century, and lists its origin as "obscure". It has also been linked to the Dutch pampoesje, possibly borrowed from Javanese "pampus", ultimately from Persian (papush) / Arabic (babush) (International archives of ethnography: Volume 9 - Intern. Gesellschaft für Ethnographie; Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië - Ter Lands-drukkerij, 1870).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English pumpe, possibly from Middle Dutch pompe (“pipe, water conduit") or Middle Low German pumpe (“pump"). Compare Dutch pompen, German pumpen, and Danish pompe.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English pumpe

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Origin unknown

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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