Definition

1. Noun:
   • A device for moving water: A mechanical device designed to move water from one location to another, typically by creating pressure or suction.
   • An automotive cooling system component: Specifically, the pump in a vehicle's engine cooling system that circulates coolant (often a water-based mixture) to regulate engine temperature.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The village installed a new water pump to provide clean drinking water.
  • If the car's water pump fails, the engine can overheat very quickly.

Advanced Usage

• "to prime the pump": To prepare a pump for operation by filling it with water; figuratively, to stimulate activity or growth by an initial investment.
  • Before starting the old water pump, you must prime the pump to create suction.
  • The government tax cuts were intended to prime the pump of the economy.

Variants and Related Words

• Pump (n/v): The general device for moving fluids or gases; the act of operating such a device.
  • She pumped air into the bicycle tire.
• Coolant pump (n): A more specific term for the pump in an engine's cooling system.
• Centrifugal pump (n): A common type of water pump that uses a rotating impeller to move water.

Synonyms

• Circulator: A device that causes something, like a fluid, to move in a circuit.
• Impeller: The rotating part of a pump that moves the fluid.

Related Phrases

• Pump water: The action of moving water using a pump.
  • They had to pump water out of the flooded basement.
• Pump house: A small building housing a water pump.
  • The old pump house by the river is now a museum.

Notes on Meaning

The term "water pump" primarily refers to the general mechanical device for moving water. Its specific automotive meaning is a specialized application of this general concept. The device does not necessarily pump pure water; in an automotive context, it pumps a coolant mixture, and in other contexts, it may pump other liquids. The core function remains the transfer of a fluid via mechanical action.

Noun

1. the pump in the cooling system of an automobile that cause the water to circulate