pump and dump
pump and dump noun: a form of financial fraud where the fraudster purchases stocks at a very low price, generates excitement about those stocks in order to create a temporary price increase, then sells the stocks before the price depreciates.
Noun
pump and dump (countable and uncountable, plural pump and dumps)
- A form of financial fraud where the fraudster purchases stocks at a very low price, generates excitement about those stocks in order to create a temporary price increase, then sells the stocks before the price depreciates.
- […] Mr. Colt bought the stocks in advance of his tips and sold them at a profit as soon as his followers bid up the prices. The stocks then plunged back to earth, causing losses for unwary investors in what the S.E.C. called an updated version of the classic market manipulation known as a pump and...2000 March 3, Alex Berenson, “S.E.C. Reaches Settlement in Web-Based ‘Pump and Dump’ Case”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
- Jordan Belfort was jailed in 1999 for insider trading. He had run a “pump and dump” trading scam, based on selling penny shares to gullible investors, which cost them some $200m. His autobiography was later turned into the Wolf of Wall Street movie, starring Leonardo Di Caprio and directed by...2021 February 2, Mark Sweney, Graeme Wearden, “GameStop shares plunge as traders dump stock”, in The Guardian
- Synonyms:
- buy, lie and sell high
- A situation where a woman uses a breast pump and then discards the milk, typically because she has had an infection, or has been drinking alcohol.
- “#pumpanddump,” she captioned the image. On her Instagram Story, the model shared the same image with the caption, “More like cowchella lol Jamiroquai was soooo worth the pump and dump,” referencing the British funk and jazz band performing.2018 April 20, Alexia Fernández, “Behati Prinsloo Mom-Shamed for 'Pump and Dump' Breastfeeding Photo at Coachella”, in People
- A situation where a person has sex with a partner on a single occasion, without immediate intention of further contact or pursuing a serious relationship.
- "She's the one who wants a quick fuck. I need more than that – not a wedding ring – but she's already been with two other guys this week. In this day and age? No way."
"I don't blame you. I gave up the ol' pump and dump recently myself."2000, Randy Boyd, Bridge Across the Ocean, West Beach Books, published 2000, →ISBN, page 80 - Getting a Taurus female into bed a second time is much easier than doing the same to her male counterpart: Taurus females are less lazy and stubborn and they view sexuality as more of a give-and-take than their pump-and-dump brethren.2001, Stuart Hazleton, Sexscopes: How to Seduce, Stimulate, and Satisfy Any Sign, Fireside, published 2001, →ISBN, page 47
- Synonyms:
- fuck and chuck, hit it and quit it, smash and dash, one-night stand
- "She's the one who wants a quick fuck. I need more than that – not a wedding ring – but she's already been with two other guys this week. In this day and age? No way."
Verb
pump and dump (third-person singular simple present pumps and dumps, present participle pumping and dumping, simple past and past participle pumped and dumped)
- To use a breast pump and then discard the milk, typically because one has had an infection, or has been drinking alcohol.
- Should you pump and dump after having a margarita?2000, Claire Martin, The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver, page 19
- Again, check with your doctors to see which medications you will be given and how long you would need to pump and dump, if at all.2010, Robin Elise Weiss, The Better Way to Breastfeed, page 283
- To have sex with a partner on a single occasion, without intention or prospects of further contact, or engaging in a serious relationship.
- Do kids not yet old enough for a learner's permit think about sex 1000 times day, talk about cheerleaders who get "pumped and dumped," […]1998 April 3, Larry Bonko, “Readers Defend Teen-Age Soap”, in The Virginian-Pilot
- This 'lightning shag' will give you 'hand' as most women hate the idea of being 'pumped and dumped'.2005, Johnny Blue, The Blue Riders' Club, Trafford Publishing, published 2005, →ISBN, page 97
Examples of pump and dump in a sentence
- The stocks then plunged back to earth, causing losses for unwary investors in what the S.E.C. called an updated version of the classic market manipulation known as a pump and dump.2000 March 3, Alex Berenson, “S.E.C. Reaches Settlement in Web-Based ‘Pump and Dump’ Case”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- He had run a “pump and dump” trading scam, based on selling penny shares to gullible investors, which cost them some $200m.2021 February 2, Mark Sweney, Graeme Wearden, “GameStop shares plunge as traders dump stock”, in The Guardian:
- A fifth principle and a constant challenge is the blanket proscription by radiologists (and x-ray technicians) to “pump and dump” breast milk for 24 to 48 hours when radiocontrast agents are used.2012, Gabbe, Niebyl et al., Obstetrics: Normal and problem pregnancies, p. 559
Synonyms of pump and dump
Forms of pump and dump
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | pump and dumps |
| alternative form | pump-and-dump |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | pumps and dumps |
| present participle | pumping and dumping |
| past participle | pumped and dumped |
| past | pumped and dumped |
Questions about pump and dump
- What does pump and dump mean?
- Pump and dump means a form of financial fraud where the fraudster purchases stocks at a very low price, generates excitement about those stocks in order to create a temporary price increase, then sells the stocks before the price depreciates.
- How do you use pump and dump in a sentence?
- The stocks then plunged back to earth, causing losses for unwary investors in what the S.E.C. called an updated version of the classic market manipulation known as a pump and dump.
- What part of speech is pump and dump?
- Pump and dump can be a noun or a verb.
- What is the plural of pump and dump?
- The plural of pump and dump is pump and dumps.
Words near pump and dump in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: pump and dump (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-pump and dump.ogg.
Cite this entry: “pump and dump.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pump_and_dump. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.