bumping (up)

verb

present participle of bump (up)
as in ratcheting (up)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping (up)
  1. building up
  2. pumping up
  3. maximizing
  4. increasing
Verb
  • China is building up its military and AI capabilities despite limited access to advanced computer chips.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Boone said the final few steps for Judge’s return include building up his workload because he has been sidelined for over three months with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of building up
Verb
  • 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
Definition of pumping up
Verb
  • Financial management in healthcare should not simply be about maximizing margins.
    — Dr William Wertheim, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Central bankers adjust the target range on the fed funds rate for two reasons — their dual mandate of maximizing employment and fostering stable prices.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of maximizing
Verb
  • By merging the two failing car companies, Marchionne created the seventh-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world, increasing Fiat’s value more than tenfold.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The company has been gradually increasing its use of AI across back office and customer-facing roles and has introduced an AI chatbot to its website to help customers plan their trips.
    — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of increasing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bumping off
bumping (up)
bump into
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bumping (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

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

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All