Written Sound
Onomatopoeia Dictionary
Words that sound like the thing they mean: Imitative words. From the Greek "onoma" (name) and "poiein" (to make)
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whumpf

When the fracture of a weak snow layer causes an upper layer to collapse, making a whumpfing sound. Whumpf has been adopted as a technical avalanche term to describe the sound of a collapsing snowpack when you cross the snow. For instance, "we got a lot of whumpfing today", or "the snowpack whumpfed like rolling thunder just before it released and caught us." Avalanche Encyclopedia

Weather snow movement hit

aaht aahht bloooot

sounds of busy city horns (cars) MAD magazine

automotive tone

aaugh

Exclaimation of dismay, commonly used, and originaly created by the Peanuts gang by Charles Schulz. Used frequently by Charlie Brown in the following situations: Losing a Baseball game, Having the football pulled away by Lucy, In an embarrassing situation. Also used by other members of the peanuts gang and can be used as a roaring sound to scare someone. 1) Linus: I told her about how you're madly in love with her, Charlie Brown: Aaugh!! 2) Snoopy: It's not the things that go 'bump' in the night that scare me. It's the things that go 'AAUGH!'. Urban dictionary

dismay pain embarrassment comics

achoo

sound of sneezing. More sneezing sounds

human disease

ack-ack-ack-ackawoooo-ack-ack-ack

Fox vocalization. Rarely heard guttural chattering with occasional yelps and howls, mostly heard when animals are in close proximity to one another. Popular Science

ah

interjection used to express delight, relief, regret, or contempt

human

ah uh ah uh

sound of a dog panting. Find more panting dog sounds. ref

ah-choo

sound of sneezing. More sneezing sounds

human disease

ah-ooh-ga

other spellings: ah-ooo-ga, ah-ooh-gah, oo-ga. 1. Klaxon sound signaling "dive" in 1940's US navy submarines ref 2. Sound produced by horn on antique automobiles such as Ford Model-A ref1, ref2

automotive horn

aha

interjection used to express surprise, triumph, or derision

human

ahahah

aristocratic sounding laughter, or kind of a hick laugh

laughter

ahem

clearing one's throat

human

ahh ha ha

laughter, not really different from the ordinairy hahaha, but this one includes an attempt to capture the breath before the burst of laughter (ahh-)

laughter

ahoy

interjection used in hailing (to call or greet) a ship, as in "ship ahoy"

human

ar rooff

dog barking (Doggies by Sandra Boynton) More dog vocalizations

arf

dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

argh

exclamation expressing pain. there is a webpage dedicated to the many different spellings of aargh on the web. The top five most common spellings is argh, aargh, aaargh, arrgh, arrrgh.

human pain

argh

Sound uttered by person choking. Also: awk, gasp, gak

disease eat_drink pain

aroo

the sound made by a wolf, when howling

animal

atchoo

sound of sneezing. More sneezing sounds

human disease

aw

interjection used to express mild disappointment, gentle entreaty, or real or mock sympathy or sentiment

human

awk

Sound uttered by a person choking. Also gak, argh, gasp

disease eat_drink pain human animal

baa

sheep vocalization

animal

babble

1. to talk enthusiastically or excessively, 2. to utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds. imitative origin.

human

babbler

large family of bird species. Example: the gray-crowned babbler (Australia), also sometimes called the yahoo, after one of its calls. The name babbler or chatterer may come from the birds' continuous raucous babbling/chattering when in groups. about this bird

animal bird

badaboom

explosion. Find more explosions

explosion

badonkadonk

Extremely curvaceous female buttocks. Urban dictionary: When the immense, rounded muscle tissue of the rear creates a sound wave ripping through the local environment making a pressure wave against the ear drum in a pleasing Ba-dOnk-a-dOnk rhythm. Also: A womens derriere that has the shape of, and bounces like a basketball. The word is derived from the sound produced when you bounce a basketball. A case of the sound of one urban icon, naming another urban icon with similar propensities but that doesn't really make a sound.

badum tish

sound of a drum roll / rimshot hear the sound

music drum laughter

bah

interjection used to express disdain or contempt

human

bam

sound of a hard hit. Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

bamf

BAMF in the Marvel comic books represents the sound of X-Men character Nightcrawler when he transports himself. The sound is caused by air rushing into the area where Nightcrawler's body once was

misc gas movement

bang

sharp noise or hit. Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

baraag

elephant vocalization, trumpeting

animal

barf

vomiting, the sound made while vomiting. Also used a noun meaning "vomit"

disease

bark

verb for dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

animal

baroom

explosion. Find more explosions

explosion

bash

to strike heavily. Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

batabatabata

sound of a helicopter. Find all helicopter sounds

engine helicopter movement

bawl

to cry out loudly and unrestrainedly. From baulare (Medieval Latin) or baula (Old Norse), imitative origin.

human animal

bay

dog vocalization (in the poem Lepanto by G. K. Chesterton: "... Don John's hunting, and his hounds have bayed ...". Find more dog vocalizations

animal

bazinga

interjection similar in meaning to fooled you! or gotcha! after a prank. It first appeared in the tv sitcom The Big Bang Theory and is used by the character named Sheldon. It probably comes from the word zing and ba and a may just have been added for added effect. See video of Bazinga!-moments

human television series comedy

bbvvvvvvvvvvvvvnnnnnn

The sound of an activated but motionless lightsaber in Star Wars movies. Also: nnnnnnnn Reddit

saber weapon

beep

bird , automobile horn, or computer generated tone. "Beep beep!" is also the signature call of the Road Runner character (a bird) in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Find more tones

animal bird automotive tone

beep beep beep beep beep beep whirrrffftt bonk

Sound of a forklift (From Diggers go by Steve Light). All caps in the book BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP WHIRRRFFFTT BONK

engine lift truck automotive

beep beep beep beep screeeech ruuurrrump pa-lump

Sounds made by a dump truck (Diggers go by Steve Light, all caps in the book BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP SCREEEECH RUUURRRUMP PA-LUMP

truck dump rubble dirt stone sand engine

bellbird

(Anthornis melanura) bird species found in New Zealand. Maori language name Korimako. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song that was much noted by early European settlers. It has a bell-like song. about this bird

animal bird

biff

sound of an uppercut punch. Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

blab

loose chatter. Also: blabber

human

blabber

Loose chatter. also: blab

blah

nonsense, silly talk

human

blam

explosion. Blam is also the title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting. Find more explosions.

explosion

blare

loud sound

music misc tone engine

blast

an explosion or violent detonation, a violent gust of wind, or the effect of such a gust Find more explosion words

explosion

bleat

1. to utter or play loudly or harshly, 2. the natural cry of a sheep, goat or calf 3. to talk complainingly or in a whining tone of voice

animal

bleep

electronically generated tone. "to bleep" often means "to mask inappropriate language on television or radio"

tone

blep

The sound of sticking your tongue out. Often used in cat pictures on the internet, showing a cat with tongue sticking out.

tongue cat animal meme

bling bling

the "sound" of light reflecting off shiny expensive objects, such as diamonds. this is a rare example of "non-auditory onomatopoeia". another example: shiiin

misc

blip

a short, crisp sound

tone

bllgh blllgggh blllllgggghh

(automotive) sound of boiling coolant Cartalk

engine automotive liquid water

blop

sound a large serving of mashed potatoes makes when it hits the plate (also a corresponding measurement of same) (ref)

food hit spoon

blurp

sound of a horn (from "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss)

music

blurt

to utter abruptly and impulsively, as in "to blurt out the first word that comes to mind"

human

bob-white

any of a genus (Colinus) of quail; especially : a popular game bird (C. virginianus) of eastern and central North America having mottled chiefly reddish-brown plumage

animal bird

bobolink

bird species named by their typical call. about this bird

animal bird

boff

1. the sound of a hit or punch. Find more hit/ punch words 2. verb (slang) to have sexual intercourse (with someone) 3. noun (plural boffs), a big laugh 4. a line in a film etc that elicits such a laugh

hard_hit laughter

bomb

hollow, explosive projectile, imitative origin

explosion

bomp

sound of a hit / punch ("Garfield", Jim Davis). Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

bong

sound of bouncing. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

bonk

sound of something heavy hitting something else. Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

boo

1. used to express derision, disapproval 2. Used to startle someone, when said loudly and abruptly

human

boo-hoo

crying

human

boom

1. deep, hollow sound, explosion. Find more explosion words 2. verb for the sound produced by the (male) bittern, a bird species, to attract the females and establish their territory. each male has a unique voice. the boom of the male bittern is the lowest-pitched and the most far-carrying song produced by any European bird. it is written as "oonk-a-lunk" or "punk-er-lunk" and can be heard up to 5 km away in the right weather conditions. about this bird

explosion animal bird

boooOOOOOOooo

(automotive) sound of a bad turbo. Cartalk

engine automotive

boop

A light tap or bump on the nose in a cute way. This word is an ideophone, meaning that it evokes the idea of sound to describe phenomena that do not necessarily have sound. While not technically onomatopoeia, it is used like onomatopoeia. know your meme

animal body meme

boosh

A word that describes the sound of an explosion; an expression used to express awesomeness. Ex. (1) We lit the gas can on fire, and it went "BOOSH!". (2) When Tamera aced the test, we heard her shout, "BOOSH!" in celebration. Urban Dictionary - Thanks to students of Ms. Lane's 7th grade class! Find more explosions

explosion human

bop

sound of a hit / punch ("Garfield", Jim Davis). Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

borborygmus

the rumbling sound produced by the movement of gas through the intestines of animals, including humans. Stomach growling.

eat_drink animal gas

bounce

A heavy blow. Possibly of imitative origin. Etymonline

bow-wow

dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

animal

brahnk

bullfrog vocalization (When the fireflies come by Jonathan London).

animal frog quack croak

bratatat

sound of machine gun. (Bratatat! is a Roy Lichtenstein painting)

weapon

bray

to utter the characteristic loud harsh cry of a donkey

animal

breet

Referee whistle. also: preet

sports music

brekekekex, koax, koax

(Ancient Greek) frog . Features in Aristophanes' comedy Batrachoi ("The Frogs", (405 BCE) - as translated by Matthew Dillon. The phrase was also used by Hans Christian Andersen, in the fairy tale Tommeliden ("Thumbelina", 1835)

animal

bringg

sound of ringing telephone. More telephone sounds

tone

brinng

sound of ringing telephone. More telephone sounds

brouhaha

hubbub, uproar

human

brum-brum-brum-brum-brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Sound of a chainsaw

bubble

air enclosed by liquid, or to bubble: the process of bubbles being formed, probably of imitative origin

liquid gas water

buffet

(possibly of imitative origin) blow. Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

buffoon

(possibly of imitative origin) clown, may stem from allusion to puffing out cheeks as a comic gesture

gas misc

bum! brrum! brrrumble!!!!

Sound of a big bass drum. From the children's book Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012 Candlewick Press

music

bumble

to blunder, from Middle English bomblen (to boom)

movement

bumblebee

A bumblebee (also spelled as bumble bee) is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. They are characterized by are characterised by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands. Etymonline: 1520s, replacing M.E. humbul-be, alt. by assoc. with M.E. bombeln "to boom, buzz," echoic, from PIE base *kem "to hum," echoic.

bump

heavy dull blow, or its result (a swelling). Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

burble

to form bubbles, flow with bubbling sound

liquid water

burp

the act of belching

human human eat_drink

burr

uvular pronounciation of the letter "r"

human

buzz

1. a sibilant humming sound, like a bee (also: bzzz, hum) 2. the sound of a buzzer 3. a confusion of activity and gossip, chatter, talk. Also used as a verb "the bees were buzzing", "he buzzed a servant"

human animal tone

bwahaha!

laughter, boisterous



laughter

bwak

sound of a punch or kick. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

bweee

electric power tone

tone

BWEEP bip bip BWEEP

U.S. city police siren in traffic (ref)

police tone alarm siren city car automotive

bwok

sound of a punch or kick. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

bwoom

explosion Find more explosion words

explosion

bwow-chcka-bwow

funky palm-muted riffs with wah pedal (sound effect), associated with pornographic movie soundtracks. often combined with playing "airguitar". see also: neow, jug, whockah

music

bwwob bwwwobbubwub

Sound of a car engine low on coolant Cartalk

automotive engine

bzzz

sound of a flying insect

animal

ca-chunk

sound of big metal-framed ink-stamps used by court clerks (ref)

metal hit

caa

sound made by a crow

cackle

1. the sound made by a hen after laying an egg, 2. talking in a cackling manner, probably has partial imitative origin

human animal bird

caterwaul

to make a harsh cry (like a cat in heat). More cat sounds

animal vocalization

caw

bird , usually a raven or crow

animal bird

cha-cha-cha

a fast rhythmic ballroom dance of Latin-American origin with a basic pattern of three steps and a shuffle. The name is derived from the rhythm of the guiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers' feet

music

cha-ching

sound of a cash register. also: ka-ching

money metal coins

chachalaca

bird species name, see plain chachalaca

animal bird

chakk-chackk-chak-chak, chak-a-chak-akk-chk-chk-chk

sound of a helicopter. Find all helicopter sounds

engines helicopter movement

cham

to chew noisily. Find more chewing noises

human eat_drink

champ

to chew noisily. also: cham. Find more chewing noises

chat

to converse easily and familiarly. also a name for small birds, such as the warbler

human animal bird

chatter

quick repeated sounds (by birds or humans)

human animal bird

chatterer

1. a person who chatters 2. common name for bird species, see babbler

animal bird

cheep

bird vocalization (nonspecific)

animal bird

chickadee

any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Poecile of the family Paridae) that are related to the titmice. about this bird

animal bird

chiffchaff

name of bird species, named by its song. about this bird

animal bird

chiming

the sound of wedding bells (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe)

metal music

ching-a-ling

sound of a bell

chink

to make a sharp ringing sound

metal

chirp

bird vocalization (nonspecific)

animal bird

chirr

the short vibrant or trilled sound, characteristic of an insect (as a grasshopper or cicada)

animal

chirrup

1. to utter a series of chirps, or to make clucking or clicking sounds with the lips, as in urging on a horse, 2. bird vocalization

animal bird

chit-chat

light, informal conversation

human

chitter

to twitter or chatter (high-pitched sounds), like a bird, or raccoon

animal bird

chomp

to chew or bite something. Find more chewing noises

human eat_drink animal

choo-choo

small children's word for train (steam engine)

engine

chooga chooga chooga

steam engine or train. Click here for more train sounds

engine movement

chortle

laughter, gleeful chuckle, chuckling and snorting. Ususally designated as a description of a weird laugh, but a chortle can be a laugh you make when you REALLY enjoy something. Often used in British comic "the Dandy and the Beano" or "Beano book", e.g. Dennis the Menace's annoying habit of guffawing at his own actions: "Ha ha! Look Gnasher! Chortle!"

laughter

chough

genus Pyrrhocorax of birds in the Corvidae (crow) family. now universally pronounced 'chuff'. However it probably originally rhymed with "how", as 'chow' is a reasonable representation of its call (according to this website). link1 (white-winged chough), link2 (red-billed chough)

animal bird

Chrrrick chrrrick chrrrick chrrrrick

Putting butter on toast with a knife. From the children's book Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012 Candlewick Press

metal eat_drink

chuck-will's-widow

(Caprimulgus carolinensis) nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae, similar to the whip-poor-will, found in the southeastern United States near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods. It migrates to the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America. voice: Call a loud "Chuck-will's-widow," with the first "chuck" being quiet and inaudible at a distance. about this bird

animal bird

chug

a dull explosive sound made by or as if by a laboring engine

engine

chug chugchug chugchug mmmoooosh

sound of a steamroller (Diggers go by Steve Light. All caps in the book CHUG CHUGCHUG CHUGCHUG MMMMOOOOSH)

engine equipment road

CHUGGA chugga chugga CHUGGA chugga chugga CHOO CHOOOOOOO

steam engine or train. from this book:
Trans go, by Steve Light
Click here for more train sounds

machine movement

chukar

The Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) is a Eurasian upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. Their song is a noisy chuck-chuck-chukar-chukar from which the name is derived. More

animal bird

chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump

Sounds made by an excavator (From Diggers go by Steve Light). In the book all caps CHUMMA CHUMMA CHUMMA, HUFFT HUFFT FALUMP

engine metal digging

chunk

to chunk, a verb for sound made by a big engine, as in thumping, chunking engines going.. (from the poem "engineers" by Jimmy Garthwaite, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

engine

clack

1. chatter, prattle 2. to make an abrupt striking sound or series of sounds, such as footsteps 3. cry of a bird , especially fowl. see also: cackle, cluck 4. Sound of a late 19th century gun being closed after loading, according to a reply to a yahoo!Answers post about the sound of old guns

animal bird weapon metal

clackety-clack

sound of a train sound of a train riding on a railroad switch or joint (Song of the train by David McCord, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett). also: clickety-clack

metal engine

clang

1. loud ringing metallic sound. For example clang or klang is often used for when an aluminum baseball bat hits the baseball 2. to clang, verb for harsh cry of a bird (as a crane or goose), 3. to clang, verb for the sound of fire bells (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe).

hard_hit animal bird metal

clank

1. the sound of metal when struck, 2. to clank, verb for the sound made by a big engine (from the poem "engineers" by Jimmy Garthwaite, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett)

hard_hit engine

clap

a sharp, forcible or resounding noise

hard_hit

claque

(possibly of imitative origin) organized body of hired applauders

crack

clash

loud sound of collision followed by a confusion of lesser sounds

hard_hit

clatter

to make a rattling sound

crack

cliche

stereotyped phrase (imitative origin, from the sound of dropping the matrix on the molten metal)

human

click

1. slight sharp sound, eg. camera making a photo. 2. nonvocal suction sound in some languages, 3. to talk noisily or rapidly. The sound made by dolphins is also called "clicking".
In the media: click it or ticket is the name and slogan of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign aimed at increasing the use of seat belts among young people in the United States. Also: "clunk click, every trip (click the seatbelt on after clunking the car door closed; UK campaign) and: "click, clack, front and back" (click, clack of connecting the seatbelts; AU campaign)

human animal automotive

clickety-clack

sound of a train sound of a train riding on a railroad switch or joint (Song of the train by David McCord, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett), see also clackety-clack

metal movement engine

clink

sound of metal when struck

hard_hit metal

clinker

very hard kind of brick, named after the sound produced when struck

hard_hit

clip clop

sound of a walking horse. More horse sounds

animal

clippity-clop

sound of galloping horse. More horse sounds

animal

clitter

to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures, as of male insects such as crickets or grasshoppers

animal

clobber

sound of a hit / punch, verb: to batter severely. Find more hit / punch words

hard_hit

cltkty

sound of a coin put into a vending machine (from the graphic novel "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth", ref)

metal

cluck

1. bird : the peculiar sound of a brooding hen 2. To make a clicking sound with the tongue

animal bird

cock-a-doodle-doo

call of a rooster, usually in the morning

animal bird

common poor-will

(Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars, found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico. Call: a loud "poor-will." about this bird

animal bird

coo

bird , characteristic note of doves and pigeons

animal bird

cough

to expel air noisily from the lungs, usually to expel fluids that resonate during breathing

human disease

crack

to make a sharp short noise

crack

crackle

1. To make a succession of slight sharp snapping noises: a fire crackling in the wood stove. 2. To show liveliness, energy, or intensity: a book that crackles with humor. 3. To become covered with a network of fine cracks; craze. v.tr. 1. To crush (paper, for example) with sharp snapping sounds. 2. To cause (china, for example) to become covered with a network of fine cracks.
in the media: Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies. They are named after the sound rice krispies make when they are dropped in a bowl of milk

crash

to dash to pieces, or the noise produced by it

hard_hit crack

creak

a harsh cry, sound of a rusty gate hinge, to speak stridently or querulously, or to make a shrill grating noise

metal crack

cricket

name of chirping insect, grasshopper

animal crack

crinkle

to make a soft crackling sound, rustle

crack

croak

1. frog , 2. to utter a deep hoarse cry

animal

croaker

Common name for Sciaenidae, a family of fish. Also called drums or hardheads for the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make. The sounds are produced by the beating of abdominal muscles against the swim bladder. more

croon

1. To hum or sing softly. 2. To sing popular songs in a soft, sentimental manner. 3. (Scottish) To roar or bellow. Possibly of imitative origin. Originally "to bellow like a bull" as well as "to utter a low, murmuring sound" Etymonline

human music animal

croup

throat-disease with a sharp, barking cough. imitative origin

human disease

crow

to utter the cry of a rooster

animal bird

crunch

1. to chew with a noisy crackling sound, 2. to crush, grind, or tread noisily. Find more chewing noises

human eat_drink animal crack

crunch, crunch, crunch

sound of footsteps on gravel, stones

human stones

cry

1. to call loudly, 2. to weep, 3. verb for the sound of a trumpet (in the poem "Lepanto" by G. K. Chesterton: "... Don John calling through the blast and the eclipse, crying with the trumpet, with the trumpet of his lips"

human music

cuckcoo

cuckoo, bird species Cuculus Canorus, named by its cry. Also, a type of clock named after the bird. link1 (bird), link2 (clock)

animal bird

curlew

any of various largely brownish chiefly migratory birds (especially genus Numenius) having long legs and a long slender down-curved bill and related to the sandpipers and snipes. name is imitative of the sound it makes. about this bird

animal bird

currawong

bird species name, see pied currawong

animal bird

d'oh

interjection used to express sudden recognition of a foolish blunder or an ironic turn of events, popularized by The Simpsons tv cartoon series, in which main character Homer uses it often. also: doh.

human

dab

to strike with soft pressure

light_hit

dada

vocal sound produced by a human infant

human

dakka

the sound produced by fully-automatic weapons in action. Use in computer gaming: Acquiring "more dakka" leads to a faster rate of bullet discharge and thus improves the player's overall chance of taking out hostiles ref

weapons

dash

to move violently or suddenly. also lash

movement

deed-a-reedle

sound of a fiddle ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

music

dibble dibble dopp dopp

sound of rain (from Mr. Brown can moo, can you? by Dr. Seuss). More rain sounds

weather liquid water

dickcissel

name of bird species (Spiza americana). small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. voice: From an open perch in a field, this bird's song is a sharp "dick dick" followed by a buzzed "cissel", also transcribed as "skee-dlees chis chis chis" or "dick dick ciss ciss ciss". about this bird

animal bird

didgeridoo

(probably of imitative origin) indigenous Australian instrument, of imitative origin. link (video)

music

dikdik

small antelope that lives in the bushes of East Africa, Angola and Namibia. Dik-diks are named for the alarm calls of the females, which make a dik-dik, or zik-zik sound. In addition to the female's alarm call, both the male and female make a shrill whistling sound.

ding

sound of metal when struck

hard_hit metal

ding-dong

tolling of a bell

metal

dirnt

Sound of a bass-guitar. From: Mike Dirnt, the bassist of the rock band Green Day. Dirnt's birth name is Michael Ryan Pritchard. According to Wikipedia, at school, he would would often play "air-bass", pretending to pluck the strings, while making the noise, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt". As a result, his schoolmates began to call him "Mike Dirnt". See also Yahoo Answers. Related: wub wub, wob wob and other sounds of bass in dubstep music.

dodogyuuun

the menacing cry of Arceus, God of the Pokemon world

comics television videogames

dong

sound of bouncing. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more bouncing words

hard_hit

doo-wop

style in vocal rhythm and blues music from the 1950-1960, in which ad-lib syllables such as "doo wop, doo wah" are sung in harmony link (video)

music

dook

1. sound of drinking from a bottle ('dook, dook, dook' as in webcomic Scary Go Round) 2. verb: to dook, clucking or chuckling sound made by ferrets when excited or happy. More about ferrets

animal

dot a dot dot

sound of rain drops hitting a window pane (in the poem Weather by Eve Merriam, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett). More rain sounds

light_hit weather liquid water

drone

male honeybee, probably of imitative origin

animal

dubdubdubdubdubdub

Sound of a helicopter. Find all helicopter sounds

engine helicopter movement

duh

interjection used to express actual or feigned ignorance or stupidity, also used derisively to indicate that something just stated is all too obvious or self-evident

human

dunh dunh durrr

Sound of guitar strumming rock Reddit

dwoiiinnnnnnnngggggggig

sound of a ruler strummed against a table (ref)

plastic metal hit vibration

eastern phoebe

(Sayornis phoebe) small passerine bird. This tyrant flycatcher breeds in eastern North America, although its normal range does not include the southeastern coastal USA. It is migratory, wintering in the southernmost USA and Central America. Voice: Song is two rough, whistled notes, "fee-bee" with the second note rasping or with a stuttered, more whistly second note "fee-b-be-bee." Call note a clear chip. about this bird

animal bird

eastern whipbird

(Psophodes olivaceus) bird species found in eastern Australia. The Whipbirds' long "whip" call, one of the most characteristic sounds of the Australian bush, is performed as a duet. The male makes the drawn out whip crack and the female usually follows quickly with a sharp "choo-choo". about this bird

animal bird

eee-aaaah

donkey , also: hee haw (verb: to bray)

animal

eeeeeee

siren

tone

eeeoooeeeooo

siren

tone

eeeyouch

interjection expressing pain ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

pain

eek eek

1. monkey, mouse or rat vocalization 2. sound of a squaky shoe (from "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss) 3. human exclamation uttered when scared or distressed

animal

Eeyore

Eeyore is the name of the donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh. The name is onomatopoeia for the braying sound made by a donkey, typically written as hee haw in American English.
Eeyore

eh

interjection used to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry ; used especially in Canadian English in anticipation of the listener's or reader's agreement

human

fa-thud

sound of someone hitting the floor after falling

fighting punch hard_hit hit

fanfare

(probably of imitative origin) a flourish of brass instruments. link (video)

music

fap fap fap

Sound of masturbating (male)

human

fart

(possibly of imitative origin, but debatable) English language vulgarism most commonly used in reference to flatulence. Onomatopoeia for farts have been suggested in various internet forums in response to questions of people who needed a word to describe the sound: eg. here and here. The suggested words include brrt, braaah, THPPTPHTPHPHHPH (Calvin and Hobbes), phhhhhhrt, PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP, pff, prtrtrtrgurtrufnasutututut, prrrt, PFFT!, PHHhhhh..., SPLPLPLLLP, WHOooooffff, poot, prrrrrrrvt, scraeft, ppppppwwarrrrppppp, pllllllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooaaa..., RRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPP, fuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrt, thhhppbbbb, verrrrrrrrrnnnnnntttttt, hooooooooooooooooooooooooonk, pbpbpbpbp, frr frr frrrrrr rampooooooooo ag, pppppppptttttttttttttttttttttttt, flurpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp... Also, according to many responders it depends on the fart (farting can make many possible sounds).

human gas

fash

sound of fended off punch with the hand. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama

hard_hit movement

Ffffffffffffff

1. blowing on hot soup 2. flatulence (fart) 3. air running out of a tire

gas air eat_drink automotive food

Ffffkrrrrshhzzzwooooom..woom..woooom..

Sounds of a lightsaber (Star Wars movies) Reddit

weapon saber sword

fillip

sound of snapping the fingers

music

finch

name for a family of passerine birds (fringilla), whose call is often written as "fink fink", "pink pink", or "spink spink" about this bird. may be of imitiative origin

animal bird

fizz

1. A hissing or bubbling sound. 2. Effervescence.3. An effervescent / carbonated beverage
"plop, plop, fizz, fizz" used to be the slogan in Alka Seltzer commercials for many years. 4. 2. informal ( often foll by out ) to fail or die out, esp after a promising start. Also spelled as fizzle

explosion gas liquid eat_drink water

flac-flac-flac

sound of a helicopter. Find all helicopter sounds

engines helicopter movement

flap

1. a blow, 2. noise of a bird's wing in motion, 3. to strike with something flexible or broad

hard_hit animal bird movement

flash

1. sudden burst of flame or light, 2. sudden rush of water

explosion liquid

flatulence

See fart. (The word "flatulence" is not an onomatopoeia)

human gas

flibbertigibbet

A flighty or whimsical person, usually a young woman. In modern use, it is used as a slang term, especially in Yorkshire, for a gossipy or overly talkative person. Its origin is in a meaningless representation of chattering.

human conversation

flick

a light sharp jerky stroke or movement

light_hit movement

flick a flack fleck

sound of rain drops hitting a window pane (in the poem Weather by Eve Merriam, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett). More rain sounds

light_hit weather liquid water

flicker

1. to flutter, hover, vibrate 2. bird species name, see northern flicker

animal bird crack

flip-flop

flip-flops are a simple footwear named by sound produced when walking in them

movement human

flog

to beat, thrash. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

floovb, floovb, vwomp, vwomp

sound of a bad tire of a car. Cartalk

automotive engine movement rubber

flop

to fall, collapse, with a dull or heavy sound

hard_hit

flumppf

sound of a wad of mail as it falls from a letter-box (ref)

paper movement hit

flush

to flood or spray thoroughly with water or other liquid, as for cleansing purposes. flush can have many meanings but in the sense of flooding with liquid it can be seen as imitative

liquid rinse

flutter

1. to flap wings rapidly, 2. to float to and fro

animal bird movement liquid

Fnarr! Fnarr!

a ribald laugh to draw attention to a double entendre. From Viz magazine comic strip Finbarr Saunders (thanks, Patz Gardiner)

laughing human

freh, freh, freh

sound of an animal (particularly a dog/wolf/coyote) shaking water off its fur ("Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico", by Verna Aardema)

animal liquid

frou-frou

rustling, like silk dresses do

crack

fwappa

Sound of a parachute opening ( Pokemon Black and White Vol 7 Kusaka & Yamamoto)

misc soft_hit gas

fwip fwip fwip

sound of a dog's wagging tail ( Wag! Patrick McDonnell)

animal tail movement

fwww - cluck

sound of a hockey puck hitting the net of the goal and then the ice (ref)

sports ice hockey hit

gabing

sound of a flying object hitting someone's head (Garfield, Jim Davis) Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

gada, gada, gada

sound of drums ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

music

gag

to choke

human disease eat_drink animal

gaggle

the chatter or cackle of geese

animal bird

gak

Sound uttered by a person choking. Also: argh, awk, gasp

disease pain eat_drink

gargle

to wash the mouth with suspended liquid, also: gurgle

liquid water

gasp

sound produced by victim of punch in the stomach. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
the original word, meaning "to catch the breath convulsively and audibly (as with shock)" is not directly imitative

human hard_hit

gecko

name of lizard species, comes from Malay word "gekoq", imitiative of its call. (More about geckos)

animal

geez

interjection used to express disbelief or exasperation. As in: Geez, stop shouting at me like that!. Alternative to saying Jesus! in order to be less offensive. Also: sheesh.

human conversation

gibberish

1. gibberish is rapid, inarticulate, often foolish sounding speech, 2. according to this wikipedia entry, it is also a verb for the sound made by apes/monkeys (as in "dogs bark, monkeys gibber")

human animal

giggle

laugh in a manner suggestive of foolish levity or uncontrollable amusement

human laughter

glok

sound of a kick against someone's body (head, for example). from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

glop

sound something liquidy and unappetizing hitting a dinner plate

human eat_drink

glug

sound of swallowing a drink

human eat_drink

gnash

to strike teeth together

human animal

gnaw

to bite persistently

human eat_drink animal

gobble

bird vocalization, typically a turkey

animal bird

gobbledygook

(noun) jargon or highly intricate language that is hard to understand or incomprehensible. Comes from gobble, the vocalization of turkeys. Wikipedia

gong

metallic disk used as a percussive musical instrument named by the sound produced when struck

music

gr gr k k grk

Sound of scraping and hammering in rocky material at an archeological / paleontological excavation. from:
Dinosaur King Vol 1, by Yohei Sakai. All caps in the book: GR GR K K GRK

stone carving metal digging

gray-winged trumpeter

(Psophia crepitans) bird species found in South America, whose song is a low humming, but its call, as its name suggests, is a very loud JEEK or honking TZAAK, which may be the reason for the name "trumpeter". This bird is kept as a pet by Amerindians, since it is easily tamed, hunts snakes, and is a very efficient sentinel, with its unmissable alarm call. about this bird

animal bird

great kiskadee

passerine bird (Pitangus sulphuratus) found in southern Texas and middle and south america. this bird is a flycatcher. the voice is described by some sources as dee-kis-ka-dee, by others as BEE-tee-WEE. The latter gives the bird its name in different languages and countries: In Brazilian Portuguese the birds name is bem-te-vi, or bien-te-veo (spanish) meaning ("I've spotted you!"). In El Salvador the bird is known as Cristofue, and in Paraguay as pitogue. In French it is called tyran quiquivi. link1, link2, video

animal bird

groan

1. to utter a loud deep sound of grief or pain, 2. the sound of funeral bells (in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe, 3. sound of drums (in the poem "Lepanto" by G. K. Chesterton: "...For he heard drums groaning and he heard guns jar ..."

human human pain music

growl

a low, guttural, menacing sound made by an animal, such as a bear

animal

grrrakka kkakkakkakkakkakkakk akkakkakk kkakka akk

Sounds made by a jackhammer (From Diggers go by Steve Light). In the book all caps GRRRAKKA KKAKKAKKAKKAKKAKKAKK AKKAKKAKKAKK AKKAKKAKK AKKA KKAKKA AKK

engine metal

grrrraaawr

cry of tyrannosaurus rex (imagined). from:
Dinosaur King Vol 1, by Yohei Sakai

animal dinosaur predator

grumble

to mutter in discontent

human

grump

to growl, rumble. Grumpy: surly tempered, making inarticulate noises betokening displeasure

human

grunt

pig vocalization, the deep short sound characteristic of a hog

human animal

gshaaaa

Hissing sound made by dinosaur or giant lizard. from:
Dinosaur King Vol 1, by Yohei Sakai

animal gas breath

guff

1. foolish nonsense 2. annoying or playful criticism

human conversation

guffaw

course, hearty, boisterous laughter, belly laugh


human laughter

gulla, gulla, glugluglugluglug

sound of a bad axle, in a car (Cartalk)

automotive car engine metal

gulp

to swallow greedily or rapidly in large amounts. e.g. "she gulps down a whole mug of coffee".

human eat_drink

gunko, gunko

sound of wagon wheels ("Pedro and the padre", by Verna Aardema)

engine

gurgle

to flow in a broken irregular current, make the sound of bubbling liquid, washing the mouth with suspended liquid (soundclip), also: gargle

liquid water

gurrhr

cat vocalization, as used in James Joyce's Ulysses More cat sounds

animal

gwuf, gwuf, gwuf

sound of footstep ("Pedro and the padre", by Verna Aardema)

human movement

gyuh gyuh,gyuh

signature laugh of sherrif Roscoe P. Coltrane in tv series The Dukes of Hazzard

laughter

ha ha

laughter. most common form. intensity grows by adding ha's. absence of an exclamation mark can be a hint of sarcasm, or indicate a polite, but unenthusiastic laugh. dependent on context, tone, facial expression, etc. Also: haha

laughter

ha-ha-ha-HA-ha

emphasis on the fourth Ha (louder and higher pitch) and first three ha's gradually go up in pitch. signature laugh of cartoon character Woody Woodpecker. Youtube

HA-ha!

signature laugh of Nelson, a character from The Simpsons. Nelson is a bully at Bart Simpson's school, and he laughs at anyone who is in danger. His laugh is also written as "Haw-Haw!". link to sound



human laughter

ha!

1. laughter. not a boisterous laugh, but amused. 2. Also an exclamation used by the good guy jumping out of the bushes to suprise a villain

laughter

ha.

The period (instead of exclamation mark) makes this expression of laughter sound unenthusiastic, bored, in a hurry, or not really amused

laughter

hackigi-gi-gi-gi

laughter. signature laugh of Ed Bickel, from 3 south

laughter

hah-hah-hah

sound of a dog panting. also: hu hu hu hu, ah uh ah uh, heh-heh-heh. (these were among the replies to a question posted on Yahoo answers)

hah!

laughter. diminutive, victorious

laughter

har har!

laughter. sarcastic, as if sarcastically saying "very funny." or old fashioned hick laugh

laughter

harumph

Interjection, an expression of disdain, disbelief, protest, or dismissal; a huff, grunt, or snort. also: harumpf

interjection human

haw

laughter, often used to express scorn or disbelief. Often duplicated or triplicated (haw haw or haw haw haw)

human laughter

hawk

an audible effort to force up phlegm from the throat

human

he-he

laughter

human laughter

hee haw

1. bray of a donkey, 2. loud coarse laugh

human laughter

hee!

laughter. sometimes slightly naughty, e.g. when used after pulling a naughty prank. Also used with multiple hees: heeheehee!

heh-heh-heh

sound of a dog panting. also: hu hu hu hu, hah-hah-hah, ah uh ah uh. (Yahoo answers)

heh, heh!

laughter. sometimes perverted, or meaning "that's not really funny". Usually, "heh" is a quiet laughing sound, not laughing out loud. Heh heh may also be a good transcription of the signature laugh of Beavis, from cartoon Beavis and Butthead. Sometimes simply a more faint, private laugh

laughter

hehehe!

laughter. evil laugh used by bad guy when one of his plans goes right



laughter

hem

clearing throat. Also: ahem

hey

interjection used especially to call attention or to express interrogation, surprise, or exultation

human

hhhhrrrrrrnnnnngggg

sound of the goal light and siren in a hockey game (ref)

sports hockey goal alarm siren tone

hi

interjection used as a greeting

human

hiccup

spasm of the respiratory organs accompanied by a resonant gasping noise. Also: hiccough

human eat_drink

hip

interjection used to introduce a united cheer (cf. hip-hip-hurrah). in the meaning "trendy" or "informed", it may come from "hep" (african-american slang), of which the origin is not clear

human

hiss

to make a sharp sibilant sound, produced by geese and snakes, or a cat (when angry/scared). More cat sounds

gas vocalization

hissssssssss ssss ss

(automotive) sound a of a failing brake booster

engine automotive

hm

interjection used in many ways, one of which is to indicate that one is thinking, feeling, introspecting. also: hmm (more m's are added for dramatic effect or other reasons

hmpf

interjection used to express doubt or contempt. Also: humph, humpf

ho ho ho!

laughter. signature laugh of Santaclaus

laughter

ho hum

interjection used to express weariness, boredom, or disdain

human

hohn hohn hohn hohn

laughter. evil... and French. "We will show the stupid Americans who le clutzy frog, eh?" "HOHN! HOHN! HOHN! HOHN!" -- The Simpsons, Treehouse of Horror 8

laughter

honk

1. bird vocalization (e.g. goose), 2. car-horn

animal bird automotive

hoo hoo

bird vocalization: the cry of an owl, also: hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo, twit twoo

animal bird

hoo hoo hoo hoo

1. monkey vocalization, also: ook, hoo hoo hoo hoo, oo oo oo, 2. the sound of wind, 3. the sound of a ghost (2 and 3: in the poem "The congo" by Vachel Lindsay "...Like the wind. Hoo, Hoo, Hoo. Listen to the yell of Leopold's ghost..."

animal weather

hoopoe

name of bird species. imitative origin, but the hoopoe's call is actually a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop". link (video)

animal bird

hooray

exclamation used to express joy, approval, or encouragement. also: hurrah

hoot

bird vocalization, usually the cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo

animal bird

hottentot

member of native S. African race. Possibly imitative of the language spoken by the people referred to

human

houyhnhnm

Pronounced "Whin-ems," like a horse's whinny, the Houyhnhnm are a race of intelligent horses in book 4 of Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels

animal misc

howl

prolonged, doleful cry, typically of a dog or wolf, but can also be human or monkey. find dog vocalizations

animal human

howler monkey

Howler monkeys are widely considered to be the loudest land animal. The main vocals consist of loud, deep guttural growls or "howls". Their vocalizations can be heard from 3 miles (4.8 km) away. It is hypothesized that the function of howling relates to intergroup spacing and territory protection, as well as possibly mate-guarding. more

hrrooonnh

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers. also: muuhhhrrr, rrrruuuurrrr, moo, low, huuuooohar. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

animal

hu hu hu hu

sound of a dog panting. also: ah uh ah uh; hah-hah-hah; heh-heh-heh>/a> (Yahoo answers )

huff

sound of exhaling, blowing, puffing

animal gas

huh

interjection used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply, also: uh-huh

human

huh huh huh

laughter. signature laugh of Butt-head from cartoon Beavis and Butthead



laughter

hum

1. to make a low inarticulate murmuring sound, sometimes making a melody "to hum a tune", 2. a verb for the sound that bees and hummingbirds make (eg. "the dog barks, the bee hums"), also: buzz

animal music

hummingbird

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds. They can hover in mid-air and fly backwards, Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats. more

animal bird

humph

interjection used to express doubt or contempt. also: humpf, hmpf

hurrah

exclamation used to express joy, approval, or encouragement. also: hooray

hush

to put at rest, stop talking, make quiet

human

huuuooohar

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers. also: rrrruuuurrrr, moo, low, hrrooonnh, muuhhhrrr. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

animal

huuuuuuuuuugh

cry of a hippopotamus

animal

hyuk hyuk

laughter. more old fashioned and more hick than yuk, yuk

laughter

jabber

to talk fast and indistinctly, imitative origin

human

jangle

to make a harsh metallic sound, or to cause to make a harsh discordant sound

metal

jar

1. harsh sound, 2. the sound of guns (in the poem "Lepanto" by G. K. Chesterton: "...For he heard drums groaning and he heard guns jar ..."

weapon crack hard_hit explosion

jee je je jeee

(automotive) clutch release bearing on the way out. Cartalk

engine automotive

jingle

1. to make a light clinking or tinkling metallic sound, 2. to rhyme or sound in a catchy repetitious manner 3. brief musical tune to mark the beginning of a show or segment of a show

metal music

jug

sound of palm-muted power chords on an electric guitar. used in playing "air-guitar". often repetitive (jug jug jug - jug jug jug), typical of the musical style. as in Foo Fighters - "One by One". see also: neow, whockah, bwow-chcka-bwow

music

jump

to move or be moved off the ground. Possibly imitative of the sound of feet coming into contact with ground when landing

animal movement

ka-ching

sound of cash register, also: cha-ching

metal

Kaaahhkkk

Sound of a cat coughing up a hairball. More cat sounds

animal eat_drink disease cat vocalization

kaaapooooom

sound of a car running over a road safety bump (ref)

car automotive movement hit

kaboom

explosion. Find more explosions.

explosion

kapow

explosion. Find more explosions.

explosion

kashl

(pronounced cashel)sound of a rattly, phlegmy cough

human disease crack

kata-kata

sound of running footsteps ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

human movement

katydid

insect family also known as bush-cricket, long-horned grasshopper, named for the sound produced by the male (north american species)

animal

kea

(Nestor notabilis) name of a parrot species found in the mountains of New Zealand. Raucous cries of "keeaa" often give away the presence of these highly social and inquisitive birds. about this bird

animal bird

kekekeke

laughter. more old fashioned and more hick than yuk, yuk

laughter

kerfuffle

commotion, disturbance. This word may be of imititative origin

killdeer

bird species named by their typical call

animal bird

kirik

sound of breaking metal ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

metal crack

kish-kish

the sound of ice skates during a game of hockey (ref)

ice movement human skating sports

kite

old english name for bird of prey, usually a small hawk - probably imitative of its shrill plaintive cry

animal bird

kittiwake

name for bird genus Rissa, two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the Black-legged Kittiwake (R. tridactyla) and the Red-legged Kittiwake (R. brevirostris). The name is derived from its call, a shrill "kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake"

animal bird

klam

sound of a punch/hit during a fight. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

klok

sound of a kick against someone's body (head, for example). from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

klopp klopp klopp

sound of a horse, walking (from "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss)

animal

klunk

sound of heavy metallic objects colliding

hard_hit

knack

sharp blow or sound

hard_hit

knell

sound of a bell struck or rung

hard_hit

knock-knock

sound of striking with a sounding blow. As in knocking on a door

hard_hit

knot

bird species, see red knot

animal bird

koink

sound of squeezing a can of oil to lubricate something ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

metal engine liquid

kong

sound of food bowl hitting the head (dog (Odie) getting hit on the head with a food bowl, "Garfield", Jim Davis)

hard_hit

kookaburra

The kookaburra is a genus of birds native to australia whose name is imitative of its call. The call sounds a bit like hysterical human laughter, or maniacal cackling, depending on the species. more info, video

animal bird laughter

kra, ka, ka, hi

sound of drums ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

music

kraa

sound made by a raven

kreeen

sound of a small door opening. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama

movement squeaky peep rusty hinge

Krrrrrrrr

Sound of a skateboarder skateboarding. Skateboarder doing a trick: "Krrrrrrrr, snap! (pause) Crack! Krrrrrrrr..." user Mikemega on answerbag.com

movement human sport toy

kut-kut-kut

sound of a hen, clucking ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

animal bird

kwok

sound of an earthenware pot being smashed to pieces on the ground ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

hard_hit

lap

to drink, lick with the tongue

human animal liquid eat_drink water

lash

1. to move violently or suddenly. also: to dash, 2. to thrash or beat violently, as in "the rain lashed at the windowpanes". More rain sounds

hard_hit movement movement weather

lilt

sound of horn, or singing

music

lisp

to speak with sibilant utterance

human

low

cattle vocalization

animal

lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub ...

Sound of a beating heart. This seems the most common spelling, used in medical texts. Also: dup-dup; ba bum; plop-plop; thud-thud; pop-pop; Sometimes the heart is said to throb and throb is also thought to have imitative origin. (Yahoo Answers, 1, 2)

human disease pounding pump heartbeat

marauder

to rove or pillage for spoils. This word may be of imitative origin, imitating the vocalization of a tomcat. More cat sounds

animal human destroy plunder

meow

cat vocalization. More cat sounds

animal

mew

cat vocalization. More cat sounds

animal

mkgnao

cat vocalization, as used in James Joyce's Ulysses. also spelled mrkgnao; mrkrgnao

mlem

Sound of sticking out one's tongue, especially to lap up something to drink. Popular with cat pictures on the internet. Blogpost about the difference between mlem and blep

cat meme animal tongue

moan

1. long low inarticulate murmur, 2. (less common) word describing the sound of doves (as in "The moan of doves in immemorial elms" in the poem "Come Down, O Maid" by Alfred Lord Tennyson), 3. (less common) the sound of wind (in the poem "the night wind", by Eugene Field: "... For the wind will moan in its ruefullest tone:

human human pain disease weather

moo

cow vocalization

animal

moob

sound of an "implosion bomb". In a classic Uncle Scrooge tale by Carl Barks, Gyro Gearloose invented an "implosion bomb" that sucked up material and compacted it into a neat pile. Intended for litter collection, the Written Sound Effect was "MOOB", explicitly stated to be "BOOM" backwards. TvTropes

misc explosion weapons

mopoke

bird species also called Morepork, in Australia, two bird species known elsewhere as the tawny frogmouthabout this bird

animal bird

morepork

bird species also called mopoke or frogmouth

animal bird

mrow

cat vocalization. More cat sounds

animal

mrrroww

cat vocalization (Doggies by Sandra Boynton). More cat sounds

mrrrrgggggllll

sound made by murlocs (creatures in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft. also: mrclughluhlua, maagluuuuughhhhhh, mrglmrglmrglmrgl, aurrrrrrrrruuuuggguglugglugglugluguaa (according to players)

animal

mum

sound with closed lips not wanting to speak

human

mumble

to speak indistinctly

human

munch

to chew steadily. Find more chewing noises

human eat_drink animal

murmur

1. subdued continuous sound (often human voices), 2. to murmur, (less common) verb describing the sound of a swarm of bees or flies (as in "murmuring of innumerable bees", from the poem "Come Down, O Maid" by Alfred Lord Tennyson)

human

mutter

to speak almost inaudibly with closed lips

human

muuhhhrrr

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers. also: rrrruuuurrrr, moo, low, hrrooonnh, huuuooohar. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

animal

mwahaha

laughter, this is usually an evil sounding laugh. also: muahaha, muhaha

na na, na NA na

interjection. melodic childish taunting phrase, expressing a feeling of superiority or contempt for another. Meaning is similar to sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. see also: neener, neener; nyah, nyah / nya, nya

laughter

naa

goat vocalization

animal

natter

to chatter aimlessly

human

NEE-eu NEE-eu

French police siren (ref)

police traffic siren tone alarm car automotive

neener, neener

interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: nyah, nyah; na na, na NA na. WikiAnswers

laughter

neigh

the cry of a horse, also: whinny

animal

neow

sound of individual legato notes on an electric guitar, as in the guitar part in verse of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit": neow neow, neow neow. often combined with playing "airguitar"

music

nnn...nnn...nnn

sound of a crying dog. from this book:
Doggies, by Sandra Boynton
Click here for more dog vocalizations

nnneeaoowww

sound of a propeller plane flying overhead (ref)

plane movement engine

nnnghuh nnnguh

Sound of a broken power steering pump in a car Cartalk

automotive engine

Nnnnnnnnn

The sound of an activated but motionless lightsaber in Star Wars movies.
Reddit

saber weapon

northern flicker

bird species name (Colaptes auratus). medium-sized member of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, is one of the few woodpecker species that migrates, and is the only woodpecker that commonly feeds on the ground. The song of the Northern Flicker is a loud wick wick wick wick or (according to some sources) a squeaky flick-a, flick-a as in its name. about this bird

animal bird

nyah, nyah

interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: neener, neener; na na, na NA na; nya, nya

oink

the cry of a pig

animal

om nom nom

vocal sound produced while chewing big bites of something tasty in a hurry, like the way Sesame Street's cookie monster eats (end of clip). Here's another example. Find more chewing noises

eat_drink animal

oo oo oo

monkey vocalization, also: ook, hoo hoo hoo hoo

animal

oof

sound uttered by someone who is punched in the stomach. TheCrosswordSolver

human hit

ooh

interjection used to express amazement, joy, or surprise

human

ook

monkey vocalization, also: hoo hoo hoo hoo

animal

oompah

the sound produced by a large brass instrument. see also: umpa

music

oomph

1. strength, power (you need to put more oomph in your story) 2. sex appeal 3. a low pitched grunting or thudding sound (Oomph! grunted the boxer when punched in the gut).

human conversation power hit

oonse

also spelled: untz. Sound of the repetitive beat in rave music (a kind of electronic dance music)

oooaughoaua

coughing sound, used by a recurring character named Lorraine from the TV show Mad TV. She makes this sound when clearing her throat, also perhaps in disgust and/or satisfaction as well as in times of awkward silence to ease the tension. It is normally accompanied with a saying such as "god that's cute" while she unknowingly destroys the property of others when checking things out. Laymen can make this sound as well in their everyday life to add comedic relief to a conversation making references to Lorraine, as well as to describe something disgusting. Video: Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3.

human

oops

interjection used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay, also: woops, whoops

human

ouch

interjection expressing pain or displeasure

human pain

ow

a typical exclamation expressing pain

human pain

ow-wow-wow-wow

Fox vocalization. It sounds like a quick series of very high pitched barks. Popular Science

owl

Nocturnal bird of prey. The name is thought to have imitative origins, imitating the owl's vocalizations. Wikipedia

bird animal hoo

owooooah

sound of a coyote howling ("Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico", by Verna Aardema)

animal

p-taff

sound of a handgun

weapon explosion

pad

to walk with a soft dull tread

movement

pah-pa-rah

sound of a trumpet ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

music

pap

sound of a puck hit during hockey (ref)

sports hit hockey ice

pat

to strike lightly

light_hit

patter

to make a series of light striking sounds

light_hit

peck peck peck

sound of a woodpecker rapping with its beak on a tree Lucy Cousins children's book

animal bird

pee-oo-wee

bird species name, especially the eastern wood pewee. about this bird

animal bird

peeper

any of various tree frogs that peep shrilly, especially the spring peeper

animal

penk

sound of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball (ref)

bat sports hit ball

pew pew

sound produced by a lasergun

weapon

pewee

Any of eight species of birds of the genus Contopus (family Tyrannidae); it is named for its call, which is monotonously repeated from an open perch. In North America a sad, clear "pee-oo-wee" announces the presence of the eastern wood pewee (C. virens), while a blurry "peeurrr" is the call of the western wood pewee (C. sordidulus). about this bird. also spelled peewee

animal bird

pewit

subfamily of birds also called Lapwing. Also: any of several related plovers. about this bird. also spelled peewit

animal bird

PHCKSHIIIIiooW

Ignition of a lightsaber in Star Wars movies. Also: Tshww, pssshhew Reddit
Lightsaber

saber weapon

phew

1. used to express relief or fatigue 2. used to express disgust at or as if at an unpleasant odor

human

phoebe

bird species, see eastern phoebe

animal bird

phooey

interjection used to express repudiation or disgust

human

pht

sound of an air-pistol, or pistol with silencer. also: ft

weapons gas air

piaaaak

sound of an automatic glass door opening (ref)

movement door

pickle-pee

sound of a fife ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett). a fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore

music

pied currawong

(Strepera graculina) large, mostly black bird, with a bright yellow eye, found in Australasia. voice: The main call is a loud "currawong", which gives the bird its name. Other frequent sounds include deep croaks and a wolf whistle about this bird

animal bird

pika

Pika, also repeated pikapika, is Japanese and means shiny or sparkly. It is an example of sound symbolism in Japanese. The name of the Pokemon character Pikachu comes from 'pika' here meaning the sound an electric spark makes, and 'chu', the sound a mouse makes.
Pikachu

light color

ping

an abrupt, ringing sound, a bullet striking something, or a computer tone

weapon metal

ping-pong

game of table-tennis, imitative origin

hard_hit light_hit

pip

1. to peep or chirp, as a chick does. 2. A short, high-pitched radio signal 3. pip-pip-pip: sound of footsteps ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

animal bird movement

pitter-patter

the sound of rain, a repetitive pattering sound. More rain sounds

weather liquid water

plain chachalaca

(Ortalis vetula) a large bird in the Cracidae family. The call is a loud, raucous RAW-pa-haw or cha-cha-LAW-ka, often by several birds in a rhytmical chorus. link1, video

animal bird

plink

(verb) 1. to make a tinkling sound 2. to cause to make a tinkling sound. (noun) a tinkling metallic sound

metal hit

Plip - plip - ploop - plip - plip - plip - plip - ploop

sound of light summer rain hitting the roof (ref). More rain sounds

liquid water rain weather house

plonk

a dull striking sound

hard_hit

plop

sound such as that of an object dropping into water with not that much of a splash. "plop, plop, fizz, fizz" used to be the slogan in Alka Seltzer commercials for many years.

liquid

plump

heavy sound of landing

hard_hit

plunk

to pluck a string instrument, or to suddenly drop

music

pock

dry hit, such as when a wooden baseball bat hits a baseball.

poof

1. interjection used to indicate a sudden vanishing: The magician waved a wand, and poof! The birds disappeared! (often with a little cloud of smoke) In this sense poof may be imitative. 2. effeminate man or male homosexual. In this sense poof is not imitative

gas air movement misc

poomb

Sound of an old pistol firing, according to a post on Yahoo!Answers

weapon metal explosion

pooof

Chewing gum bubble popping. from:
Dinosaur King Vol 1, by Yohei Sakai

food blow

poop

Children's euphemism meaning excrement. This word is thought to be of imitative origin

human animal

pop

sound of rapping, knocking, or explosive. in the media: Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies. They are named after the sound rice krispies make when they are dropped in a bowl of milk. Find more explosions.

explosion hard_hit light_hit

potato-potato-potato

Sound of a poorly running motorcycle engine. The sound emphasis is on the 'p' and 't' rather than the vowels. Janet writes: "My sister used the above expression to describing a problem she had on starting a new motorcycle - it was jerking along as if it had 'kangaroo juice' in the tank. She assumed a "Gangnam Style" stance and dance to illustrate it, while saying "there I was going 'potato-potato-potato' - what a show-up!" She says that this expression is often used within her group of motorcycling friends, usually in connection with novice riders, although it may be in use more widely across the UK. The sound emphasis seems to be on the 'p' and 't' rather than the vowels." (thanks Janet!)

engine movement

pow

sound of a blow / collision

hard_hit

prattle

To talk or chatter idly or meaninglessly; babble or prate. Possibly of imitative origin. Etymonline

human conversation

prrr

sound produced by cats when sociable or (sometimes) when distressed. also: purr. More cat sounds

animal vocalization

pssshhew

Ignition of a lightsaber in Star Wars movies. Also: Tshww, PHCKSHIIIIiooW Reddit
Lightsaber

saber weapon

Psssssssss

The sound of a lightsaber being shoved into a door to melt it (Star Wars movies)

saber weapon

psst

sound uttered to get a person's attention without alerting others, to tell a secret for example. often followed by whispering

human

ptooey

spitting out something solid such as a cherry pit ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

eat_drink animal

puh-puh-puh

sound of pounding ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

hard_hit

puhVRooPuhHoo puhVROOpuhHOO

Sound of an engine misfire in a car Cartalk

automotive engine

puke

to vomit, of imitative origin

human disease

pump

(possibly of imitative origin) mechanical device for raising/moving water or gas

engine liquid

pump-a-rum

sound of a drum ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

music

punt

sound of a kick (Garfield, Jim Davis)

hard_hit

purr

a sound produced by cats, when sociable or sometimes when distressed. also: prr. More cat sounds

animal vocalization

quack

bird vocalization, cry of a duck. More duck sounds

animal bird

rabble

to utter words in a rapid and confused manner

human

racket

disturbance, uproar

misc crack

rail

to complain

human

raow

dog barking. from this book:
Doggies, by Sandra Boynton
Click here to find more dog vocalizations

rap

to strike, esp. with a quick, smart, or light blow

hard_hit light_hit

raspberry

short for raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart: a sound of contempt made by protruding the tongue between the lips and expelling air forcibly to produce a vibration; broadly : an expression of disapproval or contempt. Also "rasp", "razz" or "Bronx cheer". As in "blowing a raspberry", "making a Bronx cheer". Ref: thesneeze , wikipedia.

human gas crack

rataplan

Word imitating the sound of the side-drum and used for music pieces, especially in opera, of a military-march character.

music

ratatatat

sharp rapping sound repeated, often a machine gun. also : rat-a-tat; bratat

weapon explosion

rattle

1. rapid succession of short sharp sounds, 2. an instrument that makes a rattling noise

crack

rattlesnake

The word 'rattlesnake' is the words 'rattle' and 'snake' joined together. Rattlesnakes receive their name for the rattle located at the end of their tails. The word 'rattle' is likely of imitative origin.

red knot

(Calidris canutus) is a medium sized shorebird. name may be imitative of the birds vocalization, sometimes described as a soft "knut", or a soft "quer-wer", though usually the bird is silent. link1, link2

animal bird

reek

sound of a squeaky metal hinge ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

metal

ribbit

frog vocalization

animal

rinky-dink

banjo music

music

rizzz

sound of an electric drill (ref)

drill engine movement mechanism buzz

roar

1. to utter a a full deep prolonged cry. Typical cry of a lion 2. loud boisterous laughter. roaring with laughter is in response to something absolutely hilarious

laughter animal

rooaaarrr

sound of a car when driving fast

engine automotive movement

rowr

sound of deep prolonged cry ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

animal

rrowff

dog barking. (Doggies by Sandra Boynton) More dog vocalizations

rrrruuuurrrr

this is one of several suggestions in response to the question of how to write the sound of a bull, on wiki-answers. also: moo, low, hrrooonnh, huuuooohar, muuhhhrrr. if you need a verb: bulls "bellow" (not directly imitative)

animal

RRUUMBLE SCRUNCH SCRUUMBLE SCRUUUNCHH

Sounds made by a bulldozer. From:
Diggers go, by Steve Light

construction equipment machine heavy engine

rub-a-dub

drumming sound. Also a musical style similar to reggae

music

ruff

dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

animal dog

ruh-roh

First used by Astro on the cartoon The Jetsons and later by Scooby-Doo in the Scooby-Doo cartoon series; both characters are dogs who speak broken English with the insertion of many r's. Wiktionary

human animal

rumble

to make a low heavy continuous sound

misc crack

rump - rump

sound of a washing machine , "[Aredelia] found Starling in the warm laundry room, dozing against the slow rump-rump of a washing machine." (Thomas Harris, Silence of the Lambs, 1988)

machine engine movement

rustle

to give forth a succession of light crisp sounds

crack

schhwaff

sound of a flying arrow

weapon movement

Schklikt, klikt

Sound of a shotgun getting ready to be used, also known as racking the gun video (thanks, Gus!)

weapon metal

schlik

sound of sliding metal on metal. verb: The metal rings schliked along the rod as I slid the curtain open to peer into the room. (thank you Larry!)

schlikt

Schlikt replaced the usual snikt sound of super hero Wolverine's claws, during the period he was left without the adamantium covering on his bones.

comics metal weapon misc

schlip

sound of a person slipping on something, e.g. wet floor ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

movement liquid water

schwump schwump schwump schwump

sound of windshield wipers of a car during heavy rain (ref). More rain sounds. More car sounds

rain weather automotive liquid water

scratch

to tear or mark a surface with something sharp or jagged

crack misc

scream

to utter a shrill piercing cry. note: the vocalization of eagles is often called screaming, although according to this wikipedia article, Bald Eagles normally squeak and have a shrill cry, punctuated by grunts, and the scream that is found in films this is usually the call of a Red-tailed Hawk, dubbed into films for dramatic effect.

human animal

screamer

any of a group of South American bird species (Horned Screamer, Crested Screamer, and Black-necked Screamer) with a loud high-pitched call, which may explain the name. about this bird

animal bird

screech

1. a high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror, 2. the high pitched sound the tires of a car make when it turns at high speed

human human pain animal engine automotive movement crack

scritch

a screech

human animal crack

scrunch

to make a crunching sound, to crush or crunch, or to crumple or squeeze

crack misc

shashing

sound of a sword drawn from a sheath, also: shiiiiiing, vzzzzt

metal

shazam

exclamation used to introduce an extraordinary deed, story, or transformation - - She prayed for his arrival and shazam! There he was. Shazam is also the name of the wizard in Captain Marvel comics and the title of Marvel comic books.

exclamation human voice surprise

sheesh

interjection used to express disbelief or exasperation. As in: Sheesh, stop shouting at me like that!. Alternative to saying Jesus! in order to be less offensive. Also: geez.

human conversation

shiiiiing

sound of a sword drawn from a sheath. also: shashing, vzzzzt

metal

shiiin

the sound of silence (!), as used in manga comics (ref)

misc

shlick shlick shlick

the sound of female masturbation Yahoo answers

shmm

sound of objects flying by. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama

shoo

interjection used especially in driving away an unwanted animal

human animal

shoop

sound of a karate kick/chop, also: swah / shwah. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

shriek

to utter a loud sharp cry, screech

human animal

shuffle, shuffle, shuffle

footsteps of someone who does not fully lift feet off the ground while walking (old / injured)

walking human

shuh, shuh, shuh

sound of swimming ("Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico", by Verna Aardema)

human animal movement liquid water

shush

command to be quiet, often paired with holding the index finger vertically against the lips

gas

shuush, shuush

sound of skiing through the snow (ref)

movement snow sliding sports

shwap

sound of a punch. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

sifaka

The sifaka is a genus of lemur found in Madagascar. The name is an onomatopoeia of their "shi-fak" alarm call. Wikipedia

animal africa

sigh

to emit a deep breath, sometimes expressing weariness

human

siss

to make a hissing sound

gas

sizzle

to burn with a hissing sound, buzz

gas

skirl

to make a shrill sound

misc crack

skraaa

bird vocalization

animal bird

skraww

bird vocalization

animal bird

skreek

cry of a rat

animal

skrrreeek

sound of nails on a blackboard (ref)

nails human school scratch crack

sksksksk

Used to express amazement, shock, and excitement, due to it being a common outcome when one types random letters on a keyboard. KnowYourMeme

skwee brrumm brrumm skoooooo skooooo

Sounds made by a front loader (Diggers go by Steve Light, all caps in the book SKWEE BRRUMM BRRUMM SKOOOOOO SKOOOOO)

engine rubble sand stone dirt metal

slam

to beat, shut with a noise

hard_hit

slap

smart blow as with the open hand. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

slobber

to behave (feed) in a careless noisy fashion

human eat_drink animal

slosh

1. to spill or splash (a liquid) copiously or clumsily, 2. to agitate in a liquid (eg. slosh clothes in a solution of bleach and detergent), 3. to splash, wade, or flounder in water or another liquid

movement liquid

slump

to fall or sink

movement liquid

slurp

to make a sucking noise while eating or drinking

human eat_drink animal

smack

to separate wet lips while lightly sucking, thereby producing a sharp noise

liquid water kiss hug

snap

1. to make a cracking sound, eg. snapping your fingers, or a camera making a photo (sound of the shutter). in the media: Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies. They are named after the sound rice krispies make when they are dropped in a bowl of milk 2. the "sound" of someone's pride being hurt. this is another example of "non-auditory onomatopoeia". other examples: bling bling, yoink and shiiin

hard_hit light_hit crack music

snap-hiss

The ignition of a lightsaber in Star Wars novels written by Timothy Zahn. Also: pssshhew, Tshww, PHCKSHIIIIiooW

weapon sword

snarl

to make an angry sound while showing teeth

animal

sneeze

to make an explosive noise to clear the nostrils, probably of imitative origin, see also atchoo

human disease animal

snicker

laughter. indicating derision or perhaps an immature reaction to lewd material, can have connotations of being mean spirited - laughing at someone else's expense

laughter

sniff

to draw air audibly up the nose especially for smelling

human eat_drink animal gas

sniffle

to show or express disdain or scorn. also: snuffle

snikt

"snikt" in the Marvel comic books is the written sound of super hero Wolverine's claws popping. Replaced with schlikt during the period he was left without the adamantium covering on his bones.

misc metal weapon

snip

sound of a single cut of scissors

metal

snore

to snort, to make harsh noises through nose and mouth while sleeping

human animal

snort

1. cry of a pig, but horses snort too, sometimes 2. the act or sound of sniffing powdered tabacco or cocaine into the nose 3. suppressed laughter, a burst of laughter through the nose - since this is viewed as so embarrassing, when someone snorts with laughter, it's generally at something surprisingly hilarious

laughter animal

sob

to catch the breath convulsively, usually when crying

human

sock

sound of a punch to the face (Batman 1960s tv show). Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit punch fight

sora

(Porzana carolina) A small, secretive bird of freshwater marshes, the Sora is the most common and widely distributed rail in North America. voice: Call is a long, high descending whinny. Also a two-noted "sor-AH" call, with second note higher. about this bird

animal bird

spack a speck speck

sound of rain drops hitting a window pane (in the poem Weather by Eve Merriam, in Noisy poems by Jill Bennett). More rain sounds

light_hit weather liquid water

splash

to dash water upon

movement liquid

splat

landing with a smacking sound

hard_hit

splatt

sound of lightning (in "Mr. Brown can moo, can you?" by Dr. Seuss), for the sound of thunder: see also explosion

weather

splatter

to spatter (something), especially to soil with splashes of liquid

liquid water mud dirt

splosh

make a splashing sound, to make a certain noise or sound, to walk through mud or mire, to cause a liquid to spatter about. also: sploosh

animal movement liquid water

splut

the sound of a pie hitting someone in the face (Garfield (Jim Davis) comic)

eat_drink movement liquid water food wet

spoing

sound of a piano landing on someone's head ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

hard_hit

spoot

spitting out a mouthful of liquid ("Garfield", Jim Davis)

eat_drink movement liquid water

sputter

1. to spit out or spray particles of saliva or food from the mouth in noisy bursts, 2. to spit out words or sounds in an excited or confused manner, 3. to make sporadic spitting or popping sounds

eat_drink liquid water wet

squabble

a noisy altercation or quarrel usually over petty matters

human

squall

to cry out loudly

human

squawk

cry of a bird

animal bird

squeak

cry of a rat (also: skreek), or to utter a short shrill cry or noise

animal

squeal

to utter a short shrill cry or noise

human animal

squelch

1. to strike or press with crushing force; crush down; squash. 2. to put down, suppress, or silence, as with a crushing retort or argument. 3. to make a splashing sound. 4. to tread heavily in water, mud, wet shoes, etc., with such a sound.

crack human animal liquid

squelch, squerch

sound of walking through mud. from:
We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

liquid foot steps

squiggle

A short, irregular curve or twist, as in writing or drawing. Possibly a blend of squirm and wriggle

misc movement

squirm

To twist one's body with snakelike motions from shame or embarrassment, or to evade a question. Possibly imitative

human movement

squirt

to eject liquid in a jet

liquid water spray wet

squish

to squeeze, squash

misc crack

ssinda, sssssinda

sound of an old dial telephone. Dialing 1 is "ssinda." Dialing 9 is "sssssinda." (ref ). More telephone sounds

movement telephone mechanism

sssshblamm

sound of an explosion. Find more explosions.

explosion

strident

making a harsh noise

misc crack

strum

to play a guitar. see also thrum

music

stup

sound of landing (after a jump). also: tup. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama

hard_hit

stzsssssss

A beam of light. Poet Gino Severini referred to light as going 'szszszszszsz' and 'stzsssssss'. Willard Bohn, Modern Visual Poetry

light beam

suru suru

sound of noodles being sucked (manga)

human eat_drink

susurration

sound of whispering

human

swah

sound of a karate chop. from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

swash

to dash violently, make a noise of clashing swords

hard_hit metal movement

swish

sound of an object moving through air or water

movement liquid gas

swishy swashy

sound of walking through tall grass. from:
We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

grass walking

swoosh

Nike brand logo, but also the sound of rushing air or water

movement liquid gas

szszszszszsz

A beam of light. Poet Gino Severini referred to light as going 'szszszszszsz' and 'stzsssssss'. Willard Bohn, Modern Visual Poetry

light beam

t'chi

sound of an arrow being shot from a bow ("Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda", by Verna Aardema)

weapon

ta-da

interjection, used as mock fanfare to call attention to something remarkable. also: ta-dah, tada

human

tabdak tabdak

Sound of a running horse

tack, tack, tack

sound of thin high heels or pumps. also: tap, tap, tap

walking human

takka takka

sound of a machine gun (title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting)

weapon

tap

to strike lightly

light_hit

tattle

1. to gossip, 2. to chatter aimlessly (imitative origin)

human

tch, tch, tch

sound of chopping off branches of wood ("Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda", by Verna Aardema)

hard_hit light_hit

teehee!

laughter. giggle, mouth covered with hand, embarrassed and/or coy laugh



laughter

terwit terwoo

bird vocalization, the cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, whit woo, twit twoo

animal bird

thisshig rrrerrk

sounds coming out of the loudspeaker in the subway during an important announcement (ref)

human voice electronic static noise crack

thith-thith-thith

sound of a helicopter. Find all helicopter sounds

engine helicopter movement

thong-thong

sound of badminton rackets hitting the shuttle

sports hit

throb

(of the heart) to beat strongly

hard_hit

throkk

sound of a hit or punch (Batman comics) Find more hit/ punch words

thrum

to play a guitar

music

thubalup

sound of a running horse

animal

thud

to hit with a dull sound

hard_hit

thump

1. to strike or beat with or as if with something thick or heavy so as to cause a dull sound, as in a punch during a fight, or the sound of heavy footsteps 2. a verb for sound made by a big engine, as in thumping, chunking engines going.. (from the poem "engineers" by Jimmy Garthwaite, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

hard_hit engine

thung

sound of a blow to a metal object (features in a Roy Lichtenstein painting

hard_hit metal

thunk

sound of impact

hard_hit

thwack

the sound of flogging. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

thwip

Spiderman web shooter

misc weapon

thwogg

sound of a kick against someone's body (head, for example). from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama
Find more hit/ punch words

thwok

sound of a baseball, hitting a catcher's mitt (ref)

sports ball movement hit

thwoorp

Sound produced by quickly opening a folding fan. Urban Dictionary. Made famous by drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova

tick

a light rhythmic audible tap or beat

light_hit music

tick tock

sound of a clock. also: tic toc

light_hit movement metal

tinker

Possibly of onomatopoeic origin, from the sound of light hammering on metal. Etymonline

tinkle

a gentle, ringing sound. Also means "to urinate" (in sort of a childish way) possibly because of the sound.

metal liquid wet water pee

tinkling

sound of sleigh bells, (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe)

metal music

tintinnabulation

sound of bells

metal

titter

sound of suppressed giggle

human

tk.tk.tk.tk.tk.tk

sound of a dog's claws as he/she walks on a wooden floor (ref)

animal movement claw hit

tlick

sound of clicking with the tongue ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

human

Tlick - Tlock Tlick - Tlock

Sound of a ticking clock (Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012

metal clock

tlot tlot

sound of horse's hooves. used in the poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes.
Tlot tlot, tlot tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hooves, ringing clear;
Tlot tlot, tlot tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?

animal movement

tluck....tlock

The sound of a leaking faucet (Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012)

liquid metal water bath tub

Tluuck tluck tlawck tlock tlaack tlack tlick!

Sound of a pizzicato violin (Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012

toc - toc - toc

sound of a woodpecker rapping with his beak on a tree Plays of Edmond Rostand: The Eaglet

tocotocotoco

sound of a helicopter. more helicopter sounds

engine helicopter movement

tolling

funeral bells (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe)

metal

tom-tom

a monotonous beating, rhythm, or rhythmical sound / a percussive musical instrument played with hands

music

toot

to blow or sound an instrument (as a horn)

music

tootle-too

sound of a flute ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

music

trill

quavering or warbling in singing

animal bird music

trumpeter

bird species name, see gray-winged trumpeter

animal bird

Tshww

Ignition of a lightsaber in Star Wars movies. Also: PHCKSHIIIIiooW Reddit
Lightsaber

saber weapon

tsk

pronounced as an alveolar click; often in quick repetition, as an exclamation of contempt, disdain, impatience, etc.

tu-whu

bird vocalization, the cry of an owl. also: hoot, hoo hoo, terwit terwoo, twit twoo, whit woo

animal bird

tuckaTHUCKtuckaTHUCKtucka

sound of engine knocking. Car Talk

automotive engine metal

tuff

sound of a shuriken, or throwing star, hitting a target

fighting metal weapon

tuk-tuk

Common name for auto rickshaw, imitative of the sound of the small two-stroke engine (thailandtuktuk.net). Also called trishaw, auto, rickshaw, autorick, bajaj, rick, tricycle, mototaxi, or baby taxi.

engine automotive

tup

sound of landing (after a jump). from:
Dragon Ball Z Vol 1, by Akira Toriyama

hard_hit light_hit

twang

sound of a guitar, or of a bow (and arrow)

music

tweet

bird vocalization (small bird)

animal bird

tweeter

loudspeaker for high frequencies

music

twiddle

to touch lightly, or to play with. imitative origin

light_hit

twit twoo

bird vocalization, cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo

animal bird

twitter

to utter a succession of light chirping or tremulous sounds, chirrup

animal bird

tzing

the sound of a bullet hitting the ground (features in Roy Lichtenstein painting "Live Ammo (Tzing!)")

weapon

uggh

exclamation expressing pain, frustration or annoyance

human human pain

ugh

1. sound of coughing, 2. used to indicate the sound of a cough or grunt or to express disgust or horror

human human disease

uh-huh

interjection used to indicate affirmation, agreement, or gratification, also: huh

human

uh-oh

interjection used to indicate dismay or concern

human

umpa

the sound produced by a large brass instrument. see also: Oompah

music

untz untz untz

The sound of rave music or the sound a raver makes while raving, the sound of a techno groove

music

varoom

sound of a fast driving car or an explosion (Also the title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting. Find more explosions.

explosion engine automotive movement

veery

(Catharus fuscescens) bird species belonging to the larger group of thrushes. voice: Song a resonating, ethereal "da-vee-ur, vee-ur, veer, veer," descending slightly in pitch. Call note is a nasal "phew" or "veer" about this bird

animal bird

viip

Sound of a moving object (Also the title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting

movement

voomp

sound of explosive impact (weapon) (features in the Roy Lichtenstein painting "O.K., Hot Shot"). Find more explosions. Find more weapon sounds.

explosion movement weapon

vooRRRR, vooRRR, vooRRR

Engine revving up and down Cartalk

automotive engine

vrau, vrau

Sound of a lightsaber swinging through the air in Star Wars movies. Also: Ffffkrrrrshhzzzwooooom..woom..woooom..
Reddit

saber weapon

vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeew

Sound of a whistle of an old steam locomotive. This is a high-pitched one. A lower-pitched one might do "vroo-vroo"

air engine movement

vroo-vroo

Sound of a whistle of an old steam locomotive. This would be a low-pitched one. A high-pitched one would be more like "vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeew"

gas movement engine

vroom

sound of a car

engine automotive movement

vworp

In Doctor Who comic strips, the sound of the Tardis is represented as vworp! vworp!

comics misc

vzzzzt

the sound of a sword drawn from a sheath. Also: shiiiiing, shashing

metal

waaank

sound of a train horn (ref)

horn tone alarm train

waak

bird vocalization, cry of a duck. More duck sounds

animal bird

wah-wah

brass instrument effect of using a mute, or electric guitar sound effect (wah pedal)

music

wahoo

interjection used to express exuberance or enthusiasm or to attract attention

human

wak wak

duck vocalization. More duck sounds

wakt

sound of a hit or punch (Batman comics). Find more hit/ punch words

wallop

violent noisy movement

movement

wap

hit/blow. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

weeeoooeee

siren

tone

weep

to shed tears

human

whaam

sound of explosive impact (Roy Lichtenstein painting). Find more explosions. Find more weapon/a> sounds.

explosion

whack

to strike sharply. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

wham

a heavy blow. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

whang

sound of a hit / punch (Garfield, Jim Davis). Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

whap

1. to throw one's self quickly, or by an abrupt motion; to turn suddenly; (eg. she whapped down on the floor; the fish whapped over), 2. to beat or strike, 3. a blow, or quick, smart stroke. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

Whargharble

Sound of a canine syphoning drink from high-velocity hydropneumatic system, or sprinkler. Also: Wharrgarbl. Example, KnowYourMeme. Thanks, Joshua!

Animal liquid eat_drink water dog jet spray mouth

whee

1. pig vocalization, also: oink, grunt 2. (human) exclamation expressing positive excitement.

animal

wheeze

to breathe with difficulty usually with a whistling sound

human disease animal

wher, wher, wher

Sound of a chainsaw being started

wood engine saw

whew

exclamation of astonishment or relief making a whistling sound

human

whiff

a quick puff or slight gust especially of air, odor, gas, smoke, or spray

gas

whimper

to moan

human

whine

to utter a low somewhat shrill protracted sound

human

whinny

horse vocalization, to neigh especially in a low or gentle way

animal

whip-poor-will

bird species noted for its call. about this bird

animal bird

whipbird

see eastern whipbird

animal bird

whirr

to move swiftly with a vibratory sound, eg of a small electric motor, electronic film transport in an analog photo camera.

engine movement

whish

to make a sibilant sound

gas

whisper

to speak softly under one's breath

human

whistle

tubular wind instrument, or the act of whistling

music

whit woo

cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo

animal bird

whizz

a humming, hissing sound

gas

whoa

1. command to stop (horse) 2. command to slow an action or thought, often used to express alarm or astonishment

human animal

whock

sound of a hit / punch (Garfield, Jim Davis). Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

whockah

sound of palm-muted rhythmic strumming on an electric guitar with wah pedal, as in the intro of Jimi Hendrix’s "Voodoo Chile", for example. often combined with playing "airguitar". see also: neow, jug, bwow-chcka-bwow

music

whomp

the sound of an explosion. Find more explosions

explosion

whoop

1. to cry out or creating a disturbance. Also: whoopee, whoop it up, whoop-de-doo. 2. Sound of a siren (whoop, whoop, whoop)

tone

whooping cough

an infection of the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis (or B. pertussis). It's characterized by severe coughing spells that end in a "whooping" sound when the person breathes in

human disease

whooping crane

bird species name, the tallest North American bird, an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound and call

animal bird

whoops

interjection used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay, also: oops, woops

human

whoosh

a sibilant sound, or a swift movement or flow

movement

whop

to beat, strike. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

whop whop whop

sound of a helicopter. Find more helicopter sounds

engines helicopter movement

whump

the sound of colliding bodies, a slamming sound, or the sound of a punch to the jaw. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

whumpa-whumpa-whumpa-whumpa

sound of a helicopter. Find more helicopter sounds

engines helicopter movement

whumpf

When the fracture of a weak snow layer causes an upper layer to collapse, making a whumpfing sound. Whumpf has been adopted as a technical avalanche term to describe the sound of a collapsing snowpack when you cross the snow. For instance, "we got a lot of whumpfing today", or "the snowpack whumpfed like rolling thunder just before it released and caught us." Avalanche Encyclopedia

Weather snow movement hit

whup-whup-whup

sound of a helicopter. Find more helicopter sounds

engines helicopter movement

willet

bird species (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus). a large sandpiper of the interior West (north america) and the ocean beaches, the willet is known by its piercing calls and bright black-and-white flashing wings. Call: a loud, ringing "pill-will-willet.". about this bird

animal bird

wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu-wlu

A sound recording played backward. ref

woah, oh, oh, oh!

signature laugh of cartoon character Elmer Fudd

laughter

woh woh woh woh

(automotive) sound of a bad bearing in the timing belt tensioner

engine automotive

woo-hoo!

signature laugh of cartoon character Daffy Duck, often uttered when Daffy has to escape from someone he has just pulled a prank on

laughter

woo-woo-woo

siren

tone

woof

dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

Woom

Sound of a lightsaber swinging through the air in Star Wars movies. Also:vrãu, vrãu Reddit

saber weapon

woop woop

Sound of a police car in the United States. Police often use the siren intermittently. Also spelled whoop whoop. This onomatopoeia is used in the chorus of the 1993 hip hop track Sound of da Police by KRS-One. Hear a police car

alarm tone music

woops

interjection used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay, also: oops, whoops

human

wow

interjection used to express amazement

human

wub wub

The sound of the signature repetitive bass (wobble bass) in 'dubstep' music (a kind of electronic dance music). Other dubstep sounds: WOB WOB WOB WEB WEEEEEB WEEB WOOOB WOOOOB breeeeaaaaa breaaaaaaa WOBB WOBB, nehnehweeh, YOI YOI YOI WAHBWUHB - ref. Related: The sound of a bass guitar dirnt

wubba lubba dub-dub

Catchphrase used by Rick from the cartoon Rick & Morty Fandom

wuh-uh-uh-uh

the sound of someone muttering, grunting, in protest (Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa, by Verna Aardema)

human

wumpth

The sound of solid door closing and the air being pushed out as the door seals. (thanks Peter!)

door air hit

wuppa wuppa

sound of a helicopter. Find more helicopter sounds

engines movement helicopter

yackety-yak

noisy talk. Alternative spelling: 'yakety yak'. Also the title of a famous song by doo-wop group the Coasters (1958). Coasters

human music

yadda yadda

boring or empty talk - often used interjectionally especially in recounting words regarded as too dull or predictable to be worth repeating. also: yada yada

yahoo

1. interjection used to express positive excitement or to attract attention, also: yoo-hoo, 2. popular name for the Grey-crowned Babbler (see babbler)

human animal bird

yakyakyakyak

sound of a cat eating wet food (ref). More cat sounds

cat animal eatdrink food vocalization

yammer

to lament

human

yap

dog vocalization. Find more dog vocalizations

yar

growling sound

animal

yawp

1. to utter a sharp cry; yelp. 2. to talk loudly, raucously, or coarsely.

human human pain

yay

interjection used to express exuberant delight or triumph

human

YEEeeEEeeEEeeEEeeEEee!

Sound of a loose belt in a car engine Cartalk

automotive engine

yeeha, yeehaw, yee-haw

the traditional cry of a cowboy, often as an expression of positive excitement, similar to yahoo

human

yelp

a short, sharp cry of a dog. Find more dog vocalizations

animal

yeow

exclamation expressing pain

human pain

yikes

interjection expressing shock and alarm, often for humorous effect: "Yikes! It is cold!"

yip

cheep, like a bird

animal bird

yippee

interjection used to express exuberant delight or triumph

human

yodel

to sing by suddenly changing from a natural voice to a falsetto and back; also: to shout or call in a similar manner

music

yoink

the "sound" of someone stealing something. the word is spoken to make obvious or humorous the playful theft of an item in front of others. (e.g. "you shouldn't leave your wallet lying around like that...Yoink!". used often in the cartoon series "the Simpsons")

misc human animal movement

yoo-hoo

interjection used to attract attention, also: yahoo

human

yoooo

the sound of wind (in the poem "the night wind", by Eugene Field: "... For the wind will moan in its ruefullest tone: 'Yoooooooo!', 'Yoooooooo!', 'Yoooooooo!' ...")

weather gas

yowl

to cry loudly with pain, caterwaul, howl

human pain animal vocalization

yowt

interjection expressing pain

pain

yucchh

exclamation expressing disgust

human eat_drink

yuck

exclamation expressing disgust. Sometimes "yuck yuck" is used as the sound of laughter, but for that "yuk yuk" is used more often

human laughter eat_drink

yuk yuk

laughter. similar in flavor to "har har", but more old fashioned and more hick

human laughter

yummy

highly attractive or pleasing, exclamation to express joy derived from the prospect of eating tasty food

human eat_drink

zap

to destroy or kill by or as if by shooting

weapon

zchunk

sound of a defibrillator (ref)

medical human electronic hit electric shock therapy heart attack

zing

a shrill humming sound, such as from a bullet or vibrating string. As a verb: to move very quickly, especially while making a high pitched sound. As a noun used figuratively, meaning zest, vitality, or (in cuisine) spicy flavor. In comedy, zing is sometimes used as an interjection to acknowledge a witty comeback. The witty comeback itself is then called a zinger.

misc metal movement

zip

to travel with a sharp hissing or humming sound

movement

zlopp

sound of a man falling during a fight (Batman episode 13 season 1)

hard_hit hit punch fight fall

zonk

the sound of a karate chop. Find more hit/ punch words

hard_hit

zoom

to speed along with a low hum or buzz. also: to focus a camera on an object using a zoom lens (to 'zoom in' or 'zoom out'), also imitative of sound when motorized.

engine movement

zoomba-zoom

sound of a bass (musical instrument) ("the ceremonial band" by James Reeves, in "Noisy poems" by Jill Bennett)

music

ZOOOSH ZOOOSH ZOOOOOOOSH DING DING DING

diesel train. from this book:
Trans go, by Steve Light
Click here for more train sounds

locomotive antique old engine

zzzz

the sound of a person or animal sleeping

human animal