This is a list of onomatopoeias, i.e. words that imitate, resemble or suggest the source of the sound that they describe. For more information, see the linked articles.
Achoo, Atishoo
Babbling
Cough
Gargle
Gibberish
Hiccup
Hum
Knock
Smack
Thump
Screech
Barbarian, a person perceived to be uncivilized; derived from a Greek word imitating babbling
Flibbertigibbet, a flighty or talkative person; derived from a meaningless representation of chattering
Mleccha, ancient Indian word for a foreigner; derived from a word for indistinct speech
Awooga, or Aooga
Bang, the sound of an explosion or a gunshot
Beep, a high-pitched signal
Beep, beep, 1929 word for a car horn
Ding ding, the sound of a ringing bell
Fizz, sound of effervescence
Flutter, sound of rapid motion, e.g. aeroelastic flutter
Honk, sound of a car horn; also used for the call of a goose
Oom-pah, the rhythmical sound of a deep brass instrument in a band
Ping
Plop
Slosh
Splash, sound of water upon disturbance
Squish
Swish
Tick tick tick, sound of a timer
Tick tock, sound of a clock
Vroom, sound of an engine revving up
Whoosh, sound of the wind
Zap, sound of an electrostatic discharge
Choo Choo, childish word for a train, after the sound of a locomotive whistle
Flip-flops
Tuk-tuk, word for auto rickshaw in parts of Asia and Africa
Animal and bird names
Aye-aye
Bobolink
Chachalaca
Chiffchaff
Cuckoo
Dik-dik
Dodo
Hoopoe
Kea
Killdeer
Mopoke, morepork or boobook owl
Pobblebonk
Weero
Eastern whip-poor-will
Mexican whip-poor-will
Zyzzyx, a genus of sand wasp
Animal and bird noises
For sounds listed by the name of the animal, see List of animal sounds.
English words for animal noises include:
Bark, call of a dog
Bleat, call of a sheep
Chirp, bird call
Chirp, sound made by rubbing together feet or other body parts, e.g. by a cicada
Growling, low, guttural vocalization produced by predatory animals
Hiss, sound made by a snake
Hoot, call of an owl
Meow, cry of a cat
Moo, sound of a cow
Purr, a tonal buzzing sound made by all members of the cat family
Quack, call of a duck
Ribbit, sound of some Pacific tree frogs or bullfrogs
Roar, deep, bellowing outburst made by various animals
Screech, high-pitched strident or piercing sound, as made by a screech owl
Bebop, a style of jazz
Ratatat, a New York City experimental electronic rock duo
Wah-wah, the sound of altering the resonance of musical notes to extend expressiveness
Doof doof, Australian slang term describes electronic music heard at raves
Wham! Wham! was a 1980s English musical duo formed by members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley
Works and characters named after sounds
"Boum !", a song
Cock a doodle doo, a nursery rhyme about a cockerel
Kachi-kachi Yama, a Japanese folktale, named for the crackling of a fire
Snap, Crackle and Pop, advertising mascots for branded cereal
Clank, from the famous video game series "Ratchet & Clank"
Bamf, the sound Nightcrawler makes when teleporting
Snikt, the sound of Wolverine's claws being extended
Vworp, the sound the TARDIS makes when it materializes
