Onomatopoeia and 48 examples

Table of Contents

Onomatopoeia is defined as the creation of words which resembles, suggests, or mimics a sound which it describes. Onomatopoeia can be used to describe the kind of sounds made by animals like the barking of a dog or roaring of a lion, honking of a car, jingling of a bell etc.

There are words which are most times mistaken for onomatopoeia, words like a sigh, munch, chew etc. Worthy of note is the fact that words for sounds are never regarded as onomatopoeia, in literature.

Why is Onomatopoeia Important?

• Onomatopoeia is a relevant way of describing sounds.
• It makes descriptions more comprehensible and powerful, giving a sense of reality when a reader while rearing words can hear the sounds.
• Onomatopoeia gives a poem or a passage in prose the sound imagery and rhythm that shows the mood of the work.

Examples of Onomatopoeia

The rain drip-drop, pitter-patter, rat-a-tat on the since roof.
I could hear the lake ripple from a distance.
The ocean roared and crashed against the shore.
The guns went “boom“.
The boys in the cartoon were punching each other – wham, zap!
Wham! The car hit the wall.
The bomb hit the warehouse with a mighty bang.
He walked through—and vanished. Poof! Just Like that.
And the headmistress lost balance and fell of the stairs and landed with a mighty thud.
Snap! We’re wearing the same shirts!
Meow! And the cat went away.I could hear the gentle moo of the cows in the field, there I knew that we had left the city.
Hey! What are you doing in my car?
Hey! Cool it! Don’t get so excited!
Bam! Out of the tube with previous memories veiled and into the light.
“Bang! Bang! You’re dead!” shouted the small boy.
Zip! My dress was fastened and I was finally ready for the wedding.
The bubbles kept swishing around in the bowl.
The curtain kept swishing up and down.
The musician used a coin to strum the guitar.
The dishes fell to the floor with a clatter.
If you’re going to cough, please cover your mouth.
The cabinet opened with a distinct creak.
The earthquake rumbled the foundations of our house.
Mark tried sneaking in the house but the squeak of his shoes woke the guard.
Most cats purr if you pet them behind the ears.
He was startled by the hiss of the snake.
The eagle kept flapping its wings as it landed on the roof.
He tried to catch up with time as the clock kept ticking, tick tok tick tok.
The shot taken by the striker caused the football to land on the crossbar with a mighty thump.
I heard the chattering and clapping of hands from the crowd as I entered the hall.
The wind whirled with great intensity.
The wolf kept howling in anger that all the animals became scared of going up the mountain.
I was awoken abruptly by the cock-a-doodle-do of the resident rooster on my first morning on the farm.
The ducks went quack as I threw the stale bread at them.
I could hear the tweets of the birds as I sat on the bed.
The students kept gnashing their teeth at the announcement made by the principal.
I could hear the bees buzzing without control as I walked through the forest.
The dog could smell the meat as it sniffed the air.
I could hear the squealing of the pig at the back of the house.
Please I will appreciate it if you don’t beep your horn until we pass the dark.
I could hear the crunching footsteps of the guards on the gravel path as I said helplessly on the ground.
The music was so melodious that I didn’t know when I started snapping my fingers to the beat if the music.
I was startled by the bleep if the alarm clock.
His shirt rattled in the fierce wind.
The dog started barking uncontrollably as it caught sight of the masked man
The car screeched at the bend
The bells of the church clanged to announce the commencement of the service.
The truck splashed an ocean of dirty water on me.