Standard Lemma guide

kaboom

intj · noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kəˈbuːm/
  • rhymes with -uːm
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 B UW1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

intj

Meaning 1

An explosion; the word is typically seen in comic strips or heard in a light-hearted conversation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: mimesis

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The sound of an explosion, typically seen in comic strips or heard in a light-hearted conversation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An explosion itself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To make such a sound (at something); to explode.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From ka- + boom. Compare kerboom. Consider Italian tapum.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 砰 (pēng) — sound of an explosion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劈裡啪啦 /劈里啪啦 (pīlǐpālā) — sound of an explosion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 轟隆 /轰隆 (hōnglóng) — sound of an explosion
  • Dutch: kaboem — sound of an explosion
  • Finnish: jytym — sound of an explosion
  • Greek: καμπούμ (kampoúm) — sound of an explosion
  • Hungarian: bumm — sound of an explosion
  • Japanese: ボーン (bōn) — sound of an explosion
  • Persian: بووم (bûm) — sound of an explosion
  • Portuguese: cabum — sound of an explosion
  • Portuguese: bum — sound of an explosion
  • Portuguese: pum — sound of an explosion
  • Russian: ба-ба́х (ba-báx) — sound of an explosion
  • Russian: баба́х (babáx) — sound of an explosion
  • Russian: бах (bax) — sound of an explosion
  • Russian: бум (bum) — sound of an explosion
  • Russian: трах (trax) — sound of an explosion
  • Russian: бух (bux) — sound of an explosion
  • Russian: бац (bac) — sound of an explosion
  • Thai: ตูม (dtoom) — sound of an explosion
  • Finnish: jysäys — sound of explosion
  • Finnish: jytky — sound of explosion
  • Finnish: jyrähdys — sound of explosion
  • Hungarian: bumm — sound of explosion
  • Indonesian: jeder — sound of explosion
  • Indonesian: duar — sound of explosion
  • Japanese: ドカン (dokan) — sound of explosion
  • Japanese: ドカーン (dokān) — sound of explosion
  • Japanese: ドッカン (dokkan) — sound of explosion
  • Polish: łubudu — sound of explosion
  • Yoruba: gbàù — sound of explosion