to pump up
- phrasal verb
- /pʌmp ʌp/
- Informal
- At the party, the DJ played upbeat music to pump up the atmosphere.
- pump up the volume
- pump up the crowd
- pump up the economy
And, and, and so it really pumps us up to find some certainty, right?
- And, and, and so it really pumps us up to find some certainty, right?
- But like, man, that that pumps me up good.
- Yeah, but they they pumped him up for the movie.
- You know, she comes out to his rallies and to rap music and she tries to pump up the crowd like she is thirsty.
- It's to push down their shame, to protect their fragile ego, to pump themselves up.
- And once that pause ended, I've been pumping up films ever since.
Examples
-
Enter Shikari knew how to pump up the crowd, and their set was really fun to watch.
Blog text (7) -
The coach always knows how to pump up the team before a big game.
-
I think one time someone said, can you pump up our crowd?
-
Look at him pump up this crowd.
-
So let's pump them up, 'cause they never back down.
-
So Bill's tour is, in that sense, about pumping us up for the next notch of our work.
Blog text (15) -
The first prong is to pump up the enthusiasm and energy of one's own base.
Blog text (7) -
Greenfield said winning the third set helped pump up the Tommie crowd.
Blog text (14) -
D.J. Jason Royce will be on hand to pump up an election results-crazed crowd.
Blog text (27) -
Enthusiasts love to pump up the enrollment numbers but fail to cite the attrition numbers.
Blog text (27)
Synonyms
To make someone feel happier
Make a person or thing more active, alert and responsive
Make people feel excited and ready to act
To make or become more active and interesting
To make someone feel more active and alert
To make something more active, alert or interested
To become more intense or make a situation more intense
To increase the level or strength of something, for example volume, production
To make someone feel happier and more hopeful
To give new energy and interest to a person or thing
To make someone feel happier and more hopeful
Make a room or person more cheerful
Become more lively and cheerful after feeling tired or sad
To become or make someone more cheerful and confident
To make someone feel excited about something
To get yourself ready by feeling excited or confident
To make someone or something more lively
To make people feel excited and ready to act
To give new energy and enthusiasm to a person or thing
Make someone or something more lively and interesting
Make someone feel happier and full of energy
To make someone feel very excited about something
Make something more interesting and lively, like a room or outfit
To add fuel to a fire or make energy and excitement stronger
To make something faster or more active
Give someone praise to make them feel more confident
To become more active or exciting in a situation
Help someone feel happier
Make an event like a party more lively and exciting
Make people more interested and eager about something
Make an audience feel excited and cheer
To make someone feel eager and ready to work again
To make someone feel more cheerful and confident
To make someone feel happier or more lively
Antonyms
How Energetic
- US
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'pump' (to inject/force in) combined with 'up' (to raise/increase) transparently signals a general meaning of increasing or inflating, so a B1 learner would likely infer a sense of 'increase'. However, the specific extension to increasing energy or excitement is a metaphorical shift from the physical sense (inflate/raise) and is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Pump up comes from the image of using a pump to push air up into a tire or ball. Just as the pump makes the object bigger and firmer, to pump up someone or something means to fill them with 'energy' or 'excitement'.