13 Words You Never Knew Were Onomatopoeias
February 4, 2025
I think we all know that words like bam! and pow! are onomatopoeias. But did you know about blimp, cliché, and laugh?
Onomatopoeias: A Building Block of Language
Onomatopoeia is defined as “the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it.” So if you hear something make a sound, you imitate that sound, and then you name the object after its sound, you’ve created an onomatopoeia.
The term “onomatopoeia” has been used since the 1500s, but people have been naming things based on their sounds for much longer than that. We can trace some sound-based names way back to Old English, and other onomatopoetic words are probably much older!
Did You Know These Words Are (Were?) Onomatopoeias?
Blimp
Definition: an airship that maintains its form by pressure from contained gas
Origin: Rumor has it that in 1915, British Lieutenant A. D. Cunningham was inspecting an airship when he flicked the gasbag with his thumb. The sound that was created by this action inspired the name “blimp.”
Bounce
Definition: to cause to rebound or be reflected
Origin: Rewinding way back to the 16th century, researchers found the word “bounce” being used to imitate the report of a gun and other loud, sudden noises. Later, the meaning evolved to describe any sudden or violent movement, and the word further developed to mean “rebound.”
Bumblebee
Definition: any of numerous large robust hairy social bees (genus Bombus)
Origin: “Bumblebee” is a closed compound word combining “bumble” and “bee.” “Bumble” is an imitation of the droning, buzzing sound that a bee makes.
Cliche
Definition: a trite phrase or expression; a phrase that is used over and over again
Origin: In the nineteenth century, French printers found that they were rewriting certain phrases over and over again. To save time, they created plates with common sayings on them that they could use instead of having to spell out those phrases every time. These plates were called “clichés,” named after the sound the plates made when the mold struck the metal.
Click
Definition: to strike, move, or produce with a click
Origin: We can trace “click” back to the 1580s when it was first used to imitate a “weak, sharp sound.”
Hiccup
Definition: a spasmodic inhalation with closure of the glottis accompanied by a peculiar sound
Origin: “Hiccup” is an imitation of the sound one makes when hiccuping. Several other languages have similar words, like the French hoquet, Danish hikke, Persian hikuk, and Hindi hichki. In Old English, the word for this condition was “ælfsogoða,” meaning “elf-chokes,” because people thought that hiccups were caused by elves.
Howl
Definition: to emit a loud sustained doleful sound characteristic of members of the dog family
Origin: This is an old one, dating back in the 13th century. The word is imitative of the sound that dogs and wolves make, and the onomatopoetic origins are especially apparent if you draw out the word for a long time.
Hum
Definition: to utter a sound like that of the speech sound \m\ prolonged
Origin: “Hum” more than likely originated as an imitation of the sound made by humming.
Laugh
Definition: to show emotion (such as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound
Origin: In Old English, this word was “hlæhhan,” which imitated the sound “haha.” The word went through many changes (it became “hliehhan” and later “hlihhan”) and eventually modernized into “laugh.”
Murmur
Definition: a half-suppressed or muttered complaint
Origin: The soft, repetitive syllables of this word are an imitation of a low grumble, which is exactly what the word means!
Ping-Pong
Definition: table tennis
Origin: The official name of this sport is table tennis, but the nickname “ping-pong” was created as an imitation of the sound the ball makes on the paddle and table.
Squeak
Definition: to utter or make a short shrill cry or noise
Origin: A short, high-pitched noise is aptly named with this short, high-pitched word. It dates back to Middle English, when it was “squeken”—I think the modern “squeak” is actually a better imitation than the original word.
Snap
Definition: to make a sharp or crackling sound
Origin: This word imitates a short, sharp sound, especially with that final “p.”
What other onomatopoeias can you think of? Drop them in the comments!
Where did language come from? Learn about the bow-wow, pooh-pooh, and ding-dong theories here!
Sources:
- “America’s Most Trusted Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 7, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/.
- “Beyond ‘Toot’ and ‘Bang’ – Words You Didn’t Know Were Onomatopoeias.” Word Genius, June 5, 2023. https://www.wordgenius.com/unexpected-onomatopoeias/ZHC2dbw2jQAHTq7B.
- Cutolo, Morgan, and Meghan Jones. “50 Examples of Onomatopoeia You Never Thought Of.” Reader’s Digest, June 25, 2024. https://www.rd.com/list/examples-of-onomatopoeia/.
- Oxford English Dictionary. Accessed February 4, 2025. https://www.oed.com/.
- “Online Etymology Dictionary.” Etymonline. Accessed February 4, 2025. https://www.etymonline.com/.
- Price, Bruce. “21 Buzzy Onomatopoeias.” theweek, March 12, 2013. https://theweek.com/articles/466817/21-buzzy-onomatopoeias.