124 onomatopoeia examples: Exploring the sounds of language

What is an onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is a word that mimics the sound it represents, like “buzz” for a bee or “sizzle” for something frying. It’s a playful, powerful tool in language that brings stories, poems, and conversations to life.

The word onomatopoeia comes from the Greek onoma (name) and poiein (to make), literally meaning “the making of a name (or sound).” This fascinating linguistic device shows up in everyday conversation, books, comics, and even music lyrics.

If you’re curious about how language can stretch and exaggerate meaning even further, check out other literary devices and how to use them:

• Oxymoron examples

• Hyperbole examples

• Metaphor examples

Common examples of onomatopoeia in everyday language

Here’s where the fun begins! We organized 124 examples into helpful groups, with each one featuring the word, plus a sample sentence to show how it’s used.

Sound made to express disgust

1. Ew – “Ew, that smells awful!”

2. Yuck – “Yuck, I’m not eating that!”

3. Ugh – “Ugh, I forgot my homework.”

4. Bleh – “Bleh, that tastes weird.”

5. Pew – “Pew, what’s that smell?”

6. Ack – “Ack! Get it away from me!”

7. Blah – “Blah, this soup is flavorless.”

8. Ick – “Ick, slimy bugs!”

9. Gross – “Gross! That’s nasty.”

Onomatopoeia for fear

10. Gulp – “He gave a gulp before speaking.”

11. Eek – “Eek! A spider!”

12. Ahh – “Ahh! That startled me!”

13. Shudder – “She shuddered at the sound.”

14. Gasp – “He gasped when the lights flickered.”

15. Yipes – “Yipes! That was close!”

16. Shriek – “She let out a shriek when she saw the snake.”

17. Whimper – “He whimpered in fear.”

Happy onomatopoeia

18. Yay – “Yay! We won the game!”

19. Whee – “Whee! Down the slide!”

20. Haha – “Haha, that joke was hilarious!”

21. Heehee – “Heehee, you’re so funny!”

22. Teehee – “Teehee, that tickles!”

23. Yippee – “Yippee! It’s snowing!”

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24. Woohoo – “Woohoo, summer break is here!”

25. Snicker – “She snickered quietly.”

26. Chuckle – “He chuckled at the joke.”

27. Cackle – “The witch cackled loudly.”

Angry onomatopoeia

28. Grr – “Grr, that’s so frustrating!”

29. Huff – “He left with a loud huff.”

30. Bam – “He slammed the door with a bam.”

31. Snarl – “The dog snarled at the stranger.”

32. Growl – “He growled under his breath.”

33. Roar – “She let out a roar of anger.”

34. Crash – “The dish crashed to the floor.”

35. Grumble – “He grumbled about the homework.”

Electricity onomatopoeia

36. Zap – “The bug zapper went zap.”

37. Crackle – “The electric wires crackled.”

38. Buzz – “The phone buzzed on the table.”

39. Sizzle – “The electricity sizzled in the wires.”

40. Snap – “The power line snapped loudly.”

41. Zing – “A bolt zinged through the air.”

Sad onomatopoeia

42. Sigh – “She let out a heavy sigh.”

43. Sob – “He began to sob quietly.”

44. Sniffle – “The kid sniffled into his tissue.”

45. Moan – “He moaned in sadness.”

46. Wail – “The baby wailed uncontrollably.”

47. Blubber – “She blubbered through her tears.”

48. Whimper – “The puppy whimpered softly.”

49. Bawl – “He bawled after scraping his knee.”

50. Howl – “The dog howled at the moon.”

Frustrated onomatopoeia

51. Tsk – “Tsk, tsk, you forgot again.”

52. Hmph – “Hmph, I don’t care!”

53. Pfft – “Pfft, as if that would work.”

54. Snort – “She snorted in annoyance.”

55. Grrr – “Grrr, not again!”

Onomatopoeia for hitting something

56. Whack – “He gave the ball a hard whack.”

57. Thud – “The box hit the floor with a thud.”

58. Smack – “She smacked the fly with a newspaper.”

59. Bang – “The hammer banged loudly.”

60. Bash – “He bashed the ball against the wall.”

61. Clang – “The metal door clanged shut.”

62. Thump – “There was a thump upstairs.”

63. Pound – “He pounded his fists on the table.”

64. Slap – “He slapped the water with his hand.”

Sound of disappointment

65. Sigh – “With a sigh, he turned away.”

66. Oh no – “Oh no, not again!”

67. Groan – “He groaned when he saw the test score.”

68. Oof – “Oof, that didn’t go as planned.”

69. Drat – “Drat! I missed the bus.”

Onomatopoeia for a sigh

70. Whew – “Whew, that was close!”

71. Ahh – “Ahh, that feels better.”

72. Hah – “Hah, we did it!”

73. Phew – “Phew, I finished in time!”

74. Heave – “She gave a heavy heave of breath.”

Onomatopoeia for knocking on a door/door opening

75. Knock – “There was a knock at the door.”

76. Creak – “The old door creaked open.”

77. Bang – “Bang! The door slammed shut.”

78. Tap – “Someone tapped softly on the door.”

79. Rap – “He gave a quick rap on the window.”

Onomatopoeia for kids

80. Moo – “The cow says moo.”

81. Woof – “The dog went woof.”

82. Meow – “The cat gave a soft meow.”

83. Oink – “The piglet oinked happily.”

84. Quack – “The duck went quack quack.”

85. Neigh – “The horse neighed loudly.”

86. Baa – “The sheep said baa.”

87. Tweet – “The bird tweeted from the tree.”

Onomatopoeia for running fast

88. Zoom – “The car zoomed by!”

89. Whoosh – “Whoosh went the wind.”

90. Vroom – “The engine vroomed to life.”

91. Swoosh – “Swoosh! The ball sailed into the net.”

92. Whiz – “The bike whizzed past.”

Water sounds

93. Splash – “She splashed into the pool.”

94. Plop – “The pebble plopped into the pond.”

95. Gurgle – “The brook gurgled happily.”

96. Drip – “The faucet dripped all night.”

97. Glug – “Water glugged from the jug.”

Movement sounds

98. Beep – “The car horn beeped twice.”

99. Ring – “The phone started to ring.”

100. Flick – “He flicked the light switch.”

101. Zip – “He zipped up his jacket.”

102. Pop – “The balloon popped!”

103. Fizz – “The soda fizzed over.”

104. Twinkle – “The stars twinkled above.”

105. Rustle – “The leaves rustled in the breeze.”

Famous examples in literature and music

106. Clang – “How they clang, and clash, and roar!” (The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe)

107. Clash – “How they clang, and clash, and roar!” (The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe)

108. Rustling – “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain” (The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe)

109. Boom – “Boom boom pow” (The Black Eyed Peas)

110. Tick tock – “Tick, tock, tick, tock” (My Grandfather’s Clock by Henry Clay Work)

111. Pow – “Pow! Batman punched the villain.” (Batman comic series)

112. Wham – “Wham! The bad guy hit the ground hard.” (Batman comic series)

113. Ding dong – “Ding dong bell, Pussy’s in the well.” (Traditional nursery rhyme)

114. Tinkle – “Hear the sledges with the bells—Silver bells!” (The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe)

115. Boom clap – “Boom clap, the sound of my heart.” (“Boom Clap” by Charli XCX, song)

Weather sounds

116. Rumble – “Thunder rumbled across the sky.”

117. Crack – “The branch cracked under pressure.”

118. Snap – “The twig snapped in two.”

119. Patter – “The rain pattered on the roof.”

Soft ambient sounds

120. Chime – “The bells chimed at noon.”

121. Murmur – “The crowd murmured softly.”

122. Sputter – “The engine sputtered to life.”

123. Rattle – “The keys rattled in his pocket.”

124. Blurt – “She blurted out the answer.”

Onomatopoeia helps words jump off the page, much like puns add a dose of humor to language. See how wordplay can get even wittier with these pun examples.

FAQs about onomatopoeia

Q: Can onomatopoeia vary across different languages?

Yes! Different languages often create different onomatopoeic words based on the sounds they interpret. For example, a rooster’s crow is “cock-a-doodle-doo” in English but “kikiriki” in Spanish.

Q: Are there any rules for forming onomatopoeic words?

There’s no strict rule, but many follow sound patterns that mimic what they describe. It’s all about making the sound feel natural to the reader.

Q: Can onomatopoeia be found in all languages?

Every culture uses sound words to describe everyday life, nature, and emotions, making it a universal language feature.

Q: Does onomatopoeia serve any other purpose besides representing sounds?

It does! Onomatopoeia can create rhythm, mood, and tone, making writing more immersive and vivid.

A fun way to learn

From everyday conversations to famous poetry and songs, onomatopoeia sparks the imagination by bringing sounds to life through words. It’s also a fun and engaging way for kids to build their vocabulary and sharpen their reading skills. Speaking of learning, with Greenlight, you can help your child grow their financial literacy skills, too. 

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This blog post is provided “as is” and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.

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