Meaning & use
pumping
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“pumping” is a form of “pump”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
The present participle of 'pump', meaning to force liquid or gas to move by using a machine or by moving a handle up and down.
Grammar: Used after be to form continuous tenses: 'She is pumping water.' Also used as a gerund: 'Pumping is hard work.'
Patterns
- pumping something into something
- pumping something out of something
- pumping something up
He is pumping air into the bicycle tire.
The heart keeps pumping blood around the body.
They were pumping water out of the flooded basement.
noununcountable
The act or process of moving liquid or gas with a pump, or the sound this makes.
Grammar: Often used in compound nouns like 'pumping station' or 'pumping iron'.
Patterns
- pumping station
- pumping iron
The pumping of water from the well takes several hours.
We heard the steady pumping of the machine next door.
adjectivenot comparableinformal
Informal: full of energy, excitement, or activity; often used in phrases like 'pumping music' or 'pumping party'.
Grammar: Used before a noun: 'a pumping atmosphere'. Not usually used after 'be'.
Patterns
- pumping music
- pumping party
The club had pumping music all night.
The atmosphere was pumping with excitement.
Word forms
| third person singular | pumps |
|---|---|
| past tense | pumped |
| past participle | pumped |
| present participle | pumping |
Common combinations
- pumping iron
- He spends hours at the gym pumping iron.
- pumping station
- The old pumping station is now a museum.
- pumping blood
- The heart is responsible for pumping blood.
- pumping gas
- She was pumping gas when she saw the accident.
Synonyms and how they differ
- siphoning
- Siphoning means moving liquid using a tube and gravity, not a pump; it is more specific.
- injecting
- Injecting means forcing liquid into something, often with a needle or syringe; it focuses on the entry point.
Opposites
Word family
- pump noun
- A machine for moving liquid or gas.
- pumper noun
- A person or machine that pumps.
Commonly confused: pumping or pumping?
pumping vs pumping
This is the -ing form of 'pump', not to be confused with 'pomping' (a rare word) or 'pimping' (which has a different meaning).
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pumping' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct pattern is 'pump something with something' or 'pump something into something'. 'With air' is the natural choice here. The other prepositions do not fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pumping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.