Onomatopoetic Words
First off: “Ompa” is the sound of a car going over a speedbump.
Onomatopoeia is derived from Greek words meaning “name making.”
Onomatopoeia means the “name” given to a sound. It’s a word imitation of noise. But it is hard to spell onomatopoeia and even harder to describe what it is, much less pronounce it. You always have to stop and explain it.
So to make things easier, I shortened it to OMPA. Which is what onomatopoeia is anyway- a conversational speedbump.
Here is a list of Onomatopoeia and their definitions, written by elementary school kids.
A
Arp a seal bark
Arf a dog bark
Ack a choking sound
Aggitta a shaking your head in confusion
Argh a frustrated exclamation
Arrroooo a wolf howl
Arrr a pirate’s growl
Ahem clearing your throat expectantly
B
Bark what a dog says
Barf what a dog says when it vomits
Bang a gunshot
Boom an explosion
Bash a crushing sound
Bing a soft belltone
Badoom a percussive explosion
Boing a spring or a bounce
Bap a fish hitting the side of your head
Baliggle water in motion
Buzz the hum of a bee
Belch a violent burp
Burp a mild belch
Bong a bell sound
Bbbbbbb an engine hum (rolling)
Bump a collision
Blorp a large bubble eruption
Blibble what a jacuzzi says
Blurp a watery burp
Baaa what a sheep says
Bok Bagok what a chicken says
Bling shiney jewelry
Bop Foofoo hitting a field mouse’s head
Bam another percussive sound
Beep a car horn
Bubble air released from water
Blubble excited air released from water
Babble incoherent vocals
Beebop a style of music
Bounce the sound of little jumps
Biff to knock on Marty McFly’s head
Brush combing hair
Bonk two skulls hitting
Boosh a toddler imitating a collision
Bray what a donkey says
Bow the sound of being stretched
Bungee the sound of a rubber band going taught and bouncing back suddenly
C
Clip Clop horses hooves
Clonk another concussion sound
Clang a big bell dropped on a floor
Crash a collision
Crinkle crumpling up paper
Clink a colonel dropping his monacle
Clap singular applause
Creak something under pressure
Click a small tapping sound
Clack Clicks brother
Chop what an axe says
Careen a car hitting a guardrail
Chirp what a bird says
Cheep what a small bird says
Crunch a hard object crushed
Cough an quick expulsion of air
Cluck more chicken speak
Clunk a heavy object dropped
Croak what a frog says
Chickaboom a rythmic beat
Chomp an eating sound
Chuckle a low laugh
Clash two objects not in agreement
Clatter lots of dropped objects
Cha-ching a cash register
Cuckoo what a psychiatrist says
Choo what a train says
Chew a train eating
Chug a train drinking
Crack breaking a treebranch or spine
Clank a plank of wood on a metal floor
Crow what a crow does
Chip to break off a small piece
Crackle what a fire says
Chuck hurl away someone named charles
Chintz the sound of change going back in your pocket
D
Doink a small berry on a tennis racket
Ding Dong a doorbell
Da Dom Domm detective Joe Friday arriving
Digga Digga the echoey sound of a diving board
Drip what water says
Dinka Dinka a cartoon character sneaking on tippy toes
Dink dipping a pen in a glass inkwell
Dump the sound of garbage thrown into a pit
Dong hitting your head on a large churchbell
Drift car tires losing traction then getting it again
E
Eek what a mouse says or –
what you say when you see one
Earp how a sheriff burps
Eayah what you yell during karate class
F
Fwoosh the sound of a jetplane
Fwap something soft hitting your head
Flip Flop the sound of cheap beach shoes
Fizz what soda says
Fizzle a dud firecracker
Flutter birds wings
Flush what a toilet says
Flitter the sound of butterfly wings
Flap a flying sound
Flog the sound of punishment
Flub almost slipping in the bathtub
Fft a lighter or how to distract a disobedient dog
Fling throwing an object to one you love
Fisst the sound of a tire losing air
Fwip when a small object flies out of reach
Flirt the sound of eyelashes batting
G
Groan an overworked engine
Grind something forced under another object
Galoop stirring thick soup
Gallop how a horse runs in Texas
Gish squishing a bug
Grunt a quick growl of disapproval
Gong hitting a metal plate in disapproval
Gobble what a turkey says-or- eating on Thanksgiving
Gargle liquid in the back of your throat
Growl a friction throat noise
Grumble mummbling in disapproval
Gasp a surprised intake of air
Gag to cut off that intake of air
Giggle to titter and snicker
Glorp pulling a goolash out of mud
Glitch stepping in dogpoop or a disruptive sound
Gurgle what you say at the bottom of a pool
Gleam the sound of shine
Gulp to swallow air
Gweeze squishing mud between your fingers
Guish smishing guava through your toes
H
Honk another car horn
Haaaaaa whisper this word to imitate a crowd cheer
Hoohah a bike horn-or- a shindig
Hum singing with your mouth closed
Hiss an angry snake or cat
Howl what a wold does
Hoot what an owl gives
Ha-ha laughter vocalized
Hack a cat with a hairball
-or- to chop
-or- a comic using recycled humor
Herrr-wee-err what a Didgeridoo says
Hee-Haw how hillbilly’s imitate their favorite show
Hug sound of someone gently squeezing the air out of you
I
Itch the sound of a dog scratching
Ick the sound of a sick dog
-or- your reaction to the sick dog
J
Jigga a diving board
Jang a guitar
Jangle playing a guitar
Jingle what Santa’s shoes do
Jab a quick stab
Junk the sound of throwing garbage away
Jiggle what jello says
Jig a dancing washing machine
Jam strongly stuffing berries into a jar
Jiggy with what Will Smith gets
K
Knock what you do to a door
Kong a large gorilla hitting the ground
Kapow a cartoon sound of getting hit with a brick
Kaboom a noisy cereal
Kaching a small cash register
Kersmitch stomping on a flaming bag of cow poop
Kachunk when an idea falls into place
King a crown falling on the tile floor
Kick the sound of your foot as a weapon
Krinkle to wad up cellophane
Kringle jingle bells inside a Santa outfit
L
Luggle flopping your cheeks around
Lap how dogs drink
Lick how dogs kiss
M
Moo what a cow says
Munch chewing with your mouth closed
Mash what you do to potatoes
Meow what a cat says
Moan what a ghost says
Murmer soft voices speaking low
Mumble speaking under your breath
N
Near what a slide guitar says
Neigh how a horse disapproves
Ning what a train crossing says
Nibble to sample with your teeth
Nip to sample a bit more, not a full bite
Nudge a vocal imitation of discreet push
O
Oink what a pig says -or- orange and pink mixed
Oop reaction to coconuts dropped on your feet
Ooh what a gorilla says
Ooze slow moving glue
Ompa car tires muffled going over a speedbump.
-or- a self reference
P
Plop dropping something mushy on the floor
Poit a popping cork sound
Pip smacking your lips quietly in great expectation
Punch a Hawaiian hitting you in the stomach
Pideek curly getting his eye poked
Pbbfflliitt! a linguio-labial trill -or- raspberry
Ping the sound of a small plastic ball
Plunk to play the piano with one finger
Purr what cats and sweet rides do
Puck the sound of a slap shot
Phlegm the sound of clearing your throat
Plash a soft splash
Pop your dad’s ears depressurizing
Pitter patter little feet
Pppppppp a distant lawn mower
Pitchoo a whispered gunshot
Pidoom a really giant footfall
Pow a voiced gunshot
Psst quietly getting attention -or- a truck’s air brakes
Pling to pluck a harps string
Pluck a single pling
Piddle an unhousebroken dog on a wooden floor
Q
Quack what a duck says
Q whisper the letter, it’s a lazer!
Qualm a uneasy sound your stomach makes
Quisp the sound of a crunchy cereal
R
Ring what a phone does to your ears
Rrrrr what a siren says
Roar a lion
Ruff a dog’s quick bark
Rattle what a snake does to your nerves
Rattatta lame imitation of a tommy gun
Rip what your old pants say
Ribbit what a frog says
Rumble what a thundercloud says
Rustle cows playing in a pile of leaves
Ralph Chong throwing up in Cheech’s lap
Ricky Ricky Ricky imitating scratching a record
Ripple the sound of a pebble dropped in water
S
Snort a violent sniffle
Sizzle what a cooking steak says
Swish to enter a room wearing a cape
Slish what kids do to puddles
Splash jumping in water
Swat military police hitting a rioter
Swig taking a long draught
Slip losing your footing
Sssss a leaky tire -or- snakespeak
Snap what your fingers or Rice Krispies do
Sknit! Wolverines claws coming out
Scratch fingernails on skin
Shatter a sheet of glass breaking, shanoobie
Splat ice cream hitting the sidewalk
Shock what you do to the monkey -or-
touching an electrical outlet
Stomp To pretentiously bang on various objects in the guise of performance art
Stamp The sound of angrily slapping postage on a letter
Slam the car door closing angriliy
Slap an open handed reaction to an inappropriate comment
Snarl curling your upper lip up and growling
Snicker suppressed laughter
Screech car tires around a tight corner
Scrunch your knees as you hunker down
Slosh kids still in puddles
Smack a hard slap or a soft kiss
Sniffle a liquified sniff
Sniff the sound of mucus
Splatter dropping a bowl of soup
Sputter your engine’s last word
Spit hawkaloogey
Sweep what a broom says
Shimmy to vibrate and girate -or- an additive to a “cocoa pop” beat
Shake to move your booty back and forth quickly
Stretch the sound of expanding muscles
Squeak what a mouse says as a door opens
Squawk parrotspeak
Squish stepping in thick oozy mud
Shush librarianspeak
Slash foiled again
Scribble the sound of writing
Spritz what a hose does
Shing unsheathing a sword
Sigh a meloncholy air release
Swirl wind in an eddy
Smash hulk’s fist crushing a car
Schlamiel your shoe’s heel scuffling on the sidewalk outside of Hasenfeffer Incorporated
Swipe zipping a card through the reader begrudgingly
Scrape fingernails on a plate
Shik-shik cocking a gun
Squeegee the sound of a sponge wiping a windshield
Smoosh crushing a spider
Shikka the sound of a running cockroach
Snip what scissors say
Slop lousy lunch food hitting your plate
Squirt a small burst of water
Shonk sheathing your sword
Spitoon tobacco juice hitting a containment recepticle
Shudder a body-wide quiver
Shiver what timbers do
Snitch the annoying whisper of a tattletale
Swizzle flinging colored sugar from a straw
Stab what a knife says
Sprinkle using your fingers to distribute small particles
Strum run your fingers along guitar strings
Saw quick sawing motion sounds
T
Tick Tock clockspeak
Ting tapping a spoon on a glass to get everyone’s attention
Tsk the clicking tongue of a shameful mother
Tchakka vibrating your tongue over your outstetched lower lip
Thwip an arrow going into a straw target
Thunk an arrow going into someone’s chest
Thud getting hit in the head with a mallet
Tweet birds circling your head after getting hit
Tap deliberate rhythmic toe or finger habit
Thwack an arrow with a message attached hitting your chest
Tip-toe the rhythmic sound of sneaking on toes end
Thum plucking a banjo
Tinkle a small bit of water on the ground
Tingle what Peter Parker’s spider sense does
Trickle the last bit of a tinkle
Twang the string of the bow after you shoot
Tikka keyboard typing
Thib the sound of a plucking string
Thip sneaky sounds on tippy toes
Thong The sound of plucking a G string
Toot what a tugboat says
Tween a richocet
Tah-Dah imitating a band’s final flourish
Tonka a small metal truck toy going down stairs
Trump slamming your winning cards on the table
U
Uowow what a growling mountain lion says
Urgh a groan when you lift a heavy object
Ugh a groan when you eat something gross
V
Vroom the sound of a speeding car
(Repeated sound of a car is Deja Vroom)
Vdddrrr the sound of a dentist drill
W
Whack to try something or hit a tree with an axe
Whomp something big hitting… (there it is)
Wham something mid-sized hitting
Whoosh something big just missing you
Whimper a soft whine
Whine a prolonged whimper
Wheeze the lungs of a 300 pound jogger
Whap a quick mild slap to the head
Whisper the sound of hushed voices
Whip the sound of punishment
Whump a cat falling off a bookshelf on carpet
Whiff a quick sniff
Waft odor in motion
Whitish whisper the sound of a whip
Whiz to speed by fastly
Whallop a harder slap to the head
Wing the sound of a bullet grazing you
Wing Ning the sound of dirt bikes
Wretch the sound of vomit
Wooooo a sports freak in a bar
Whirl water or wind in a circular movement
Woo-woo Mr. Rogers imitating a train
Woop the alarm of a submarine before diving
Wink closing one eye quickly -or- the sound of a plastic chip flipped on a pile of other chips
Waffle flopping around on the floor
Wiffle swinging wildly with a plastic toy bat
Wrinkle the sound of wadding up clothes
X
Xing! the zip of a deer in a deer XING
Xxxxxt! the sound of a mad scientist electric antenna
Y
Yack a pukey cat
Yawn the sound of boredom
Yodel to wangle ones tongue and throat in a country-swiss-miss kinda way
Yelp a dog tail in peril
Yeeyee trying to start a car with a dead battery
Z
Zoom something moving faster than the eye
Zip what a zipper says
Zap what a lazer says
Zing what zip gives you
Zonk to be struck with a brilliant idea
Sounds upon themselves: Or indicative of what is going on, products
Sweep
Spank
Spitoon
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Flip Flop
Poof
Flop
Swish
Flush
Chaching
Bling
Vroom
Bungee
Boom
Fump
Barroom
Kong
King
Wisk
Boeing
Wing
Fling
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