Meaning & use
pump priming
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablebusinessfinance
the act of a government spending money to boost a weak economy, hoping to encourage more business activity and jobs.
Grammar: No plural and no article: say 'pump priming', not 'a pump priming'.
Patterns
- pump priming by the government
- pump priming measures
- a policy of pump priming
The government announced a program of pump priming to help small businesses survive the downturn.
Critics argue that pump priming only works if consumers start spending again.
The mayor defended pump priming as a necessary step to create jobs in the short term.
noununcountable
the act of giving money or support to start a project or activity that will later continue on its own.
Grammar: Also uncountable; often used with 'of' to show what is being started.
Patterns
- pump priming of something
- provide pump priming for something
The charity provided pump priming for local food banks until they could find permanent funding.
This grant is just pump priming; the theater must raise the rest of the money itself.
Common combinations
- government pump priming
- Government pump priming helped the construction industry recover.
- pump priming measures
- The budget included several pump priming measures for rural areas.
- a dose of pump priming
- The economy needs a strong dose of pump priming.
- pump priming spending
- Pump priming spending rose sharply last year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stimulus
- A broader term for anything that encourages growth, not just government spending.
- seed money
- Used for money that starts a project, often from private donors rather than a government.
- injection
- Often used in phrases like 'a cash injection'; it emphasizes the sudden addition of money, not the purpose of starting growth.
Word family
- prime the pump phrase
- The verb phrase meaning to do something that encourages growth or activity.
Commonly confused: pump priming or priming?
pump priming vs priming
In psychology, 'priming' means preparing someone to respond in a certain way, which is different from economic pump priming.
Practice
The government introduced a package of ______ to revive demand in the construction sector.
Choose one answer.
'Pump priming' is uncountable, so it is used without an article or plural form. 'A pump priming' and 'pump primings' are incorrect because the noun cannot be counted, and 'the pump priming' would be too specific unless you are referring to a particular earlier program.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pump priming”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.