pumping up

verb

present participle of pump up
1
as in thrilling
to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings of the crowd was pumped up by the band's rocking performance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in increasing
to make greater in size, amount, or number that pop diva is trying to pump up album sales with an extended publicity tour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pumping up When showing a complex picture with many different hues next to each other, though, pumping up the output of individual LED colors can cause the edges of those hues to tint and warp. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026 Several stock indexes, including the NASDAQ 100, also relaxed rules for how soon new issues could be included, further pumping up demand. — John Ruwitch, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026 In other words, pumping up the stock market was seen as a way to drive consumer spending. — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Many of my fellow viewers enthusiastically embraced the role of wrestling fans and behaved as if at a WWE match, audibly pumping up the hero and booing her opponents. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 Council Speaker Julie Menin is on the right path to pumping up Fair Fares by increasing the income threshold to participate, making enrollment automatic and even eliminating the fare entirely for some folks. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026 Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is pumping up his reelection bid at age 80 by looking jacked in workouts that his critics say are more popular than the man himself. — ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026 Taking his place in one of the Broadhurst Theatre’s box seats, DJ Griddlebone wastes no time pumping up the crowd and welcoming all and sundry Jellicles to the stage. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026 Scammers start out by buying shares of a cheap stock but then convince others to buy big, pumping up the stock's value so the scammers can then sell their shares for huge profits. — Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumping up
  1. thrilling
  2. increasing
  3. exciting
  4. expanding
  5. turning on
  6. accelerating
  7. electrifying
  8. boosting
Verb
  • Join the event trackside as top local restaurants and legendary pitmasters fire up the grills to serve a mouth-watering medley of smoky, savory BBQ (available for purchase) alongside a full day of thrilling horse racing.
    — Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Morgan Rogers 🤜🤛 Xabi Alonso The new Chelsea player and manager helped deliver a thrilling 3-2 win over Fulham yesterday in the club’s Premier League opener.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of thrilling
Verb
  • Qantas said demand for international travel remained strong, with both Qantas and its low-cost carrier Jetstar increasing capacity and unit revenue, although higher fuel costs weighed on international earnings.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • His foundation is aiming to spend $200 billion by 2045 with an increasing focus on AI.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of increasing
Verb
  • Major Wilson, 17, has been around horses most of his life and now spends much of his time helping younger riders get ready, showing them how to saddle their horses without exciting them.
    — Jhair Romero, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026
  • For Harrington and her husband Dante, the thought of triplets was shocking but exciting all the same.
    — Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Definition of exciting
Verb
  • Axel Springer is expanding in the Middle East, joining a growing number of Western publishers with an editorial presence in the region — and testing a key pillar of its editorial beliefs.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Mamdani’s signature 2-K program is scheduled to launch this fall with 2,000 students in select school districts, with the goal of expanding citywide over four years.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of expanding
Verb
  • But there’s nothing better than a little kid opening his gift and then turning on the TV watching the NBA games.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Bowed July 10, it is directed by Arima León, turning on their encounter and their correspondence afterwards.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 27 July 2026
Definition of turning on
Verb
  • Insulet’s international growth has been accelerating, with revenue rising between 30% and 32%, and full-year earnings per share growth anticipated to jump more than 30% from a year earlier.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Artificial intelligence is accelerating the trend by helping organizations analyze data faster and act on it more effectively.
    — Dirk Naylor, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of accelerating
Verb
  • Toyota and its luxury division is electrifying its portfolio of vehicles because many drivers see the value in hybrid and electric powertrains.
    — Charles Singh, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • His music, a blend of charismatic and electrifying punk and post-punk, provided the hard-rocking moment of the entire three-and-a-half-hour evening.
    — David Chiu, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of electrifying
Verb
  • Most claims about cornstarch in gardening, such as repelling ants or boosting water retention, lack scientific evidence.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The city of Atlanta has secured up to $50 million in philanthropic funding for Mayor Andre Dickens’ legacy project aimed at boosting development in historically underserved neighborhoods.
    — Shaddi Abusaid, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of boosting

Browse Nearby Words

pumping
pumping up
pumps
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pumping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumping%20up. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All