bombear
“bombear” means “to pump” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to pump
Also: to inflate
📝 In Action
El corazón se encarga de bombear sangre a todo el cuerpo.
B1The heart is responsible for pumping blood to the whole body.
Necesitamos bombear el agua fuera del sótano inundado.
B1We need to pump the water out of the flooded basement.
Estaba bombeando aire en la rueda de la bicicleta.
B2I was pumping air into the bicycle tire.
to bombard
Also: to lob
📝 In Action
El ejército comenzó a bombear la posición enemiga.
C1The army began to bombard the enemy position.
El tenista decidió bombear la pelota para ganar tiempo.
C1The tennis player decided to lob the ball to buy some time.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: bombear
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly uses 'bombear' in a medical context?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Derived from the Spanish noun 'bomba' (pump), which comes from Latin 'bombus' and Greek 'bombos', imitative words for a deep, humming sound.
First recorded: 18th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'bombear' the same as 'inflar'?
Not exactly. 'Inflar' means to inflate or blow up. 'Bombear' specifically refers to the action of the pump. You can 'bombear aire' (pump air) to 'inflar una rueda' (inflate a tire).
Can I use 'bombear' for explosives?
Usually, for explosives, we use 'bombardear' (to bombard) or 'explotar' (to explode). However, in a technical sense, 'bombear' can mean to launch projectiles in a high arc.
Is 'bombear' used in bodybuilding?
Yes! Just like in English, athletes use it to describe doing many repetitions to get blood flowing into the muscles.