onomatopoeia

noun on·o·mato·poe·ia \ ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-ˈpē-ə , -ˌma- \

Updated on: 22 Mar 2018

Definition of onomatopoeia

1 : the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (such as buzz, hiss)

2 : the use of words whose sound suggests the sense

a study of the poet's onomatopoeia

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onomatopoeic

play \ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-ˈpē-ik, -ˌma-\ or onomatopoetic play \ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-pō-ˈe-tik, -ˌma-\ adjective

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onomatopoeically

play \ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-ˈpē-ə-k(ə-)lē, -ˌma-\ or onomatopoetically play \ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-pō-ˈe-ti-k(ə-)lē, -ˌma-\ adverb

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Examples of onomatopoeia in a Sentence

The term hiccup is an example of onomatopoeia … —Fred Cicetti, Montague Reporter, 6 Mar. 2008
You might think it was an onomatopoeia of the sound a Frisbee makes as it moves through the air, but the name has been attributed for years to the Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, Conn., which went out of business in 1958. —Mark Danna, Sports Illustrated, 11 May 1987
Buzz and hiss are examples of onomatopoeia.

Recent Examples of onomatopoeia from the Web

Still another another found an appropriate onomatopoeia for the occasion.

— cady lang, Time, "Dairy Truck Accident Serves As a Reminder to Us All About Spilled Milk," 16 Mar. 2018
An onomatopoeia doesn't prove anything, except that maybe Gomez is a fan of Charli XCX.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Selena Gomez Posted a Birthday Instagram About Justin Bieber, So Take That How You Will," 1 Mar. 2018
Surely there’s a mathematical brilliance at work whenever one of their goofy onomatopoeias ricochets satisfyingly off a high-hat.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The 10 Best Albums of 2017," 12 Dec. 2017
Certainly, good writing can benefit from a little onomatopoeia.

— rachel toor, New York Times, "How to Conquer the Admissions Essay," 2 Aug. 2017
Often, lead singer Danielle Haim breaks words into a cluster of onomatopoeias delivered rapid-fire, making sentences sound like tongue twisters even without alliteration.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Familiar Novelty of Haim's New Album," 7 July 2017
That panel is the greatest moment in comic book onomatopoeia, bar none.

— john brownlee, WIRED, "Resplendent Panels of Comic Book Genius," 23 Mar. 2007
The Rubio Doctrine remains a work in progress, distinguished only by its distinctive gift for onomatopoeia.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Marco Rubio In The Wilderness Of Rakes, Cont'd," 21 May 2015
Think of Sound Editors like a composer, the men and women who create and record sound effects (bleeps, bloops, and other cinematic onomatopoeias).

— matt patches, Esquire, "What Time Do the Oscars Start? (And Other Burning Questions)," 21 Feb. 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'onomatopoeia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Onomatopoeia came into English via Late Latin and ultimately traces back to Greek onoma, meaning "name," and poiein, meaning "to make." ("Onoma" can be found in such terms as "onomastics," which refers to the study of proper names and their origins, while "poiein" gave us such words as "poem" and "poet.") English speakers have only used the word onomatopoeia since the mid-1500s, but people have been creating words from the sounds heard around them for much longer. In fact, the presence of so many imitative words in language spawned the linguistic Bowwow Theory, which postulates that language originated in imitation of natural sounds.