Pump priming is a type of action taken to stimulate an economy, usually during a recessionary period, such as through government spending or reductions in interest rates and taxes. The term pump priming is derived from the operation of literal pumps, which had to be primed with water so in order to function properly.

Pump priming assumes that the economy, too, must be primed to function properly once again. In this regard, government spending is assumed to stimulate private spending, which in turn should lead to economic expansion.