pumpen
German, verb
pumpen is spelled P-U-M-P-E-N (6 letters) and appears 5.2 times per million words in written German, the 11,837th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Pumpen is a German verb meaning “to pump (use a pump, work like a pump)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Pumpen is a different word: “plural of Pumpe "pumps"”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “mit einer Pumpe fördern”.
What does pumpen mean in English?
verb
- 1
to pump (use a pump, work like a pump)
Das Regenwasser wird aus dem Keller gepumpt.
- 2
colloquialto pant, to breathe intensely due to exertion, to exert or push oneself
Am Ende musste sie ganz schön pumpen, aber sie blieb vorn.
- 3
to pump, weightlift, work out
Er geht jeden Tag pumpen.
- 4
slangto borrow or lend; sometimes used in finance contexts, then usually implying unsustainable business models
Diese Staaten pumpen sich das Geld zu horrenden Zinsen.
noun
- 1
plural of Pumpe "pumps"
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. mit einer Pumpe fördern 2. Kraftsport betreiben 3. Geld leihen
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of pumpen
- pumpt present singular third-person
- pumpte past
- gepumpt participle past
- haben auxiliary
- pumpend participle present
- pumpe first-person indicative present
- pumpst indicative present second-person
- pumpest second-person singular subjunctive
- pumpet plural second-person subjunctive
- pumpten first-person indicative plural
- pumptest indicative preterite second-person
- pumptet indicative plural preterite
- pump imperative second-person singular
- habe gepumpt first-person indicative multiword-construction
- haben gepumpt first-person indicative multiword-construction
- pump! imperative singular
- pumpe! imperative singular
- pumpt! imperative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to pumpen
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is pumpen in German?
pumpen appears 5.2 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).