Meaning & use
pumps up
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“pumps up” is a form of “pump up”.
Meanings
verbtransitiveinformal
makes someone feel excited, confident, or full of energy
Grammar: Takes an object: pumps someone up. The object can go between 'pumps' and 'up' or after 'up'.
Patterns
- pumps someone up
- pumps up someone
That song always pumps me up before a race.
The coach's speech pumped up the whole team.
Good music pumps up the crowd at a concert.
verbtransitive
fills something with air or gas using a pump
Grammar: Takes an object: pumps up a tire. Often used for tires, balloons, or balls.
Patterns
- pumps up a tire
- pumps a tire up
He pumps up his bike tires every weekend.
She pumps up the balloons for the party.
The mechanic pumps up the car tires to the right pressure.
Common combinations
- pumps someone up for a game
- The captain's words pumped the players up for the game.
- pumps up the crowd
- The band really pumps up the crowd.
- pumps up a tire
- He pumps up a tire when it looks flat.
- pumps up the volume
- She pumps up the volume when her favorite song comes on.
Synonyms and how they differ
- excites
- More general and neutral; 'pumps up' is informal and suggests energy and enthusiasm.
- energizes
- More formal and can mean giving physical or mental energy; 'pumps up' is more emotional and informal.
Word family
- pump up phrasal verb
- The base form of this phrasal verb.
Commonly confused: pumps up or pump?
pumps up vs pump
As a verb alone, 'pump' means to move liquid or air; 'pump up' adds the idea of filling or exciting.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pumps up' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrasal verb 'pumps up' takes an object: pumps up the team. Option 1 is also possible with the object between 'pumps' and 'up' (pumps the team up), but option 0 is the more natural order here. Option 2 has the object after the time phrase, which is awkward; option 3 adds an unnecessary pronoun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pumps up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.