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   pump

   /pʌmp/

   noun

   • 1. a mechanical device using suction or pressure to raise or move liquids, compress gases, or force air into inflatable objects such as tyres: "a petrol pump"
   • ▪ an instance of moving something by or as if by a pump: "the pump of blood to her heart"
   • 2. an active transport mechanism in living cells by which specific ions are moved through the cell membrane against a concentration gradient: "the bacterium's sodium pump"
   • 3. a pump-action shotgun: US "the shotgun was a 12-gauge pump"

   verb

   • 1. force (liquid, gas, etc.) to move by or as if by means of a pump: "the blood is pumped around the body" Similar forcedrivepushsendtransportraiseinjectsuckdrawtapmilksiphonwithdrawexpelextractbleeddrain
   • ▪ move in spurts as though driven by a pump: "blood was pumping from a wound in his shoulder" Similar spurtspoutsquirtjetsurgespewgushstreamflowfloodpourspillrushwellcascaderuncoursedischargeinformal:slooshrare:disembogue
   • 2. draw (milk) from the breast using a breast pump, typically in order to feed a baby by means of a bottle: "she struggled with pumping enough milk"
   • 3. fill (something such as a tyre or balloon) with liquid or gas using a pump: "I pumped the tyres and oiled the chain" Similar inflateblow upswellaeratefill upenlargedistendexpanddilatebloatpuff uprare:tumefyOpposite deflate
   • ▪ shoot (bullets) into (a target): informal "he pumped two shots into the van's front tyre"
   • 4. move vigorously up and down: "we had to pump the handle like mad"
   • ▪ apply and release (a brake pedal or lever) several times in quick succession, typically to prevent skidding: "the school teaches its students to brake by pumping the pedal"
   • 5. try to elicit information from (someone) by persistent questioning: informal "she began to pump her friend for details" Similar askquestion (persistently/intensely)quizinterrogateprobeput questions tosound outcross-examinecatechizeinformal:grillput the screws ongive someone the third degreeput someone through the third degreeput someone through the wringer/mangleworm something out of someone

   Word Origin late Middle English (originally in nautical use): related to Dutch pomp ‘ship's pump’ (earlier in the sense ‘wooden or metal conduit’), probably partly of imitative origin.

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • P

     3

   • U

     1

   • M

     3

   • P

     3

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