Standard Lemma guide

onomatopoeia

noun · 5 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/
  • New-Zealand: /ˌɒnəˌmɛtəˈpæɪə/
  • US: än'ə-măt'ə-pēʹə or än'ə-mät'ə-pēʹə
  • US: /ˌɑnəˌmætəˈpiːə/
  • US: /ˌɑnəˌmɑtəˈpiːə/
  • /ˌɑnəˌmɑnəˈpiːə/ US, chiefly Midwestern
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːə

1

noun

Meaning 1

The property of a word that sounds like what it represents.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A word that sounds like what it represents, such as gurgle, stutter, or hiss.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A word that sounds like what it represents, such as gurgle, stutter, or hiss.

A word that appropriates a sound for another sensation or a perceived nature, such as thud, beep, or meow; an ideophone, phenomime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The use of language whose sound imitates that which it names.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rhetoric, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

using words that imitate the sound they denote

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rhetorical device

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1nómn̥ Proto-Graeco-Phrygian *ónomã Proto-Indo-European *h1nómn̥ Proto-Hellenic *ónomə Ancient Greek ὄνομᾰ (ónomă) Proto-Indo-European *kwey-der. Proto-Hellenic *kwoiwéyō Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō) Ancient Greek ὀνομᾰτοποιός (onomătopoiós) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh2 Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek ὀνομᾰτοποιῐ́ᾱ (onomătopoiĭ́ā)der. Latin onomatopoeïabor. English onomatopoeia Borrowed from Latin onomatopoeïa, from Ancient Greek ὀνοματοποιία (onomatopoiía, “the coining of a word in imitation of a sound”), from ὀνοματοποιέω (onomatopoiéō, “to coin names”), from ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”) + ποιέω (poiéō, “to make, to do, to produce”). By surface analysis, onomato- + -poeia.

Across languages

Translations

130 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: onomatope — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Arabic: مُحَاكَاة صَوْتِيَّة — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Armenian: բնաձայնություն (bnajaynutʻyun) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Azerbaijani: səs təqlidi — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Basque: onomatopeia — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Bulgarian: ономатопе́я (onomatopéja) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Catalan: onomatopeia — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 象聲 /象声 (xiàngshēng) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擬聲 /拟声 (nǐshēng) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 狀聲 /状声 (zhuàngshēng) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Czech: zvukomalba — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Czech: onomatopoie — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Danish: onomatopoietikon — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Dutch: onomatopee — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Esperanto: onomatopeo — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Estonian: onomatopöa — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Estonian: helijäljendus — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Finnish: onomatopoeettisuus — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Finnish: onomatopoesia — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • French: onomatopée — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Galician: onomatopeia — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Georgian: ონომატოპეა (onomaṭoṗea) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Georgian: ხმაბაძვა (xmabaʒva) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Lautmalerei — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Klangnachahmung — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Lautnachahmung — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Schallnachahmung — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Onomatopöie — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Onomatopoesie — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Greek: ονοματοποιία (onomatopoiía) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Hindi: स्वनानुकरणात्मक (svanānukarṇātmak) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Hindi: अनुकरण (anukraṇ) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Hungarian: hangutánzó jelleg — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Icelandic: hljóðgerving — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Indonesian: onomatopoeia — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Indonesian: pembentukan kata yg meniru suara — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Irish: onamataipé — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Irish: fuaimfhoclaíocht — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Italian: onomatopea — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Japanese: 擬音 (gion) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Japanese: 擬声 (gisei) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Latin: onomatopoeïa — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Macedonian: ономатопе́ја (onomatopéja) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Macedonian: подражавање (podražavanje) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Manx: arrish-ockleeaght — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Norwegian: onomatopoetikon — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Polish: onomatopeja — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Portuguese: onomatopeia — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Romanian: onomatopee — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Russian: звукоподража́ние (zvukopodražánije) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Russian: ономатопе́я (onomatopéja) — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Spanish: onomatopeya — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Swedish: onomatopoetikon — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Tagalog: sintunog — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Tagalog: onomatopeya — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Turkish: yansıma — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Turkish: yansımalı sözcük — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Vietnamese: tượng thanh — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Yoruba: ìfìrósínròójẹ — property of a word that sounds like what it represents
  • Albanian: onomatope — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Armenian: բնաձայնություն (bnajaynutʻyun) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Azerbaijani: təqlidi söz — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Bulgarian: ономатопея (onomatopeja) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Catalan: onomatopeia — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 象聲詞 /象声词 (xiàngshēngcí) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擬聲詞 /拟声词 (nǐshēngcí) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擬聲語 /拟声语 (nǐshēngyǔ) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 狀聲詞 /状声词 (zhuàngshēngcí) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Czech: zvukomalebné slovo — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Czech: onomatopoion — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Danish: lydord — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Danish: onomatopoietikon — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Dutch: onomatopee — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Dutch: klanknabootsing — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Esperanto: onomatopeo — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Esperanto: sonimito — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Estonian: kõlasõna — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Faroese: ljóðorð — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Finnish: onomatopoeettinen sana — word that sounds like what it represents
  • French: onomatopée — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Galician: onomatopeia — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: lautmalerisches Wort — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: lautmalendes Wort — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: lautnachahmendes Wort — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: klangnachahmendes Wort — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: onomatopoetisches Wort — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Klangwort — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Schallwort — word that sounds like what it represents
  • German: Onomatopoetikum — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Greek: ονοματοποιία (onomatopoiía) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Hindi: स्वनानुकरणात्मक (svanānukarṇātmak) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Hindi: अनुकरण (anukraṇ) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Hungarian: hangutánzó-hangulatfestő/hangfestő szó — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Icelandic: hljóðlíkingarorð — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Icelandic: hljóðgervingur — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Italian: onomatopea — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Japanese: 擬音語 (giongo) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Japanese: 擬声語 (giseigo) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Japanese: 擬態語 (gitaigo) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Japanese: オノマトペ (onomatope) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Korean: 의성어 (uiseong'eo) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Latin: onomatopoēticum — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Latin: vocābulum onomatopoēticum — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Macedonian: ономатопе́ја (onomatopéja) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Macedonian: подражавање (podražavanje) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Māori: kupu ororite — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Māori: kupu pakoire oro — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Norwegian: lydord — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Norwegian: onomatopoetikon — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Persian: نامآوا (namava) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Polish: onomatopeja — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Polish: wyraz dźwiękonaśladowczy — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Portuguese: onomatopeia — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Punjabi: صوت (ṣot) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Punjabi: ਸੌਤ (saut) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Romanian: onomatopee — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Russian: звукоподража́ние (zvukopodražánije) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Russian: ономатопе́я (onomatopéja) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Serbo-Croatian: ономатопе́ја — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Serbo-Croatian: onomatopéja — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Shuar: métek-chícham — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Spanish: onomatopeya — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Tagalog: sintunog — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Tagalog: onomatopeya — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Turkish: onomatope — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Turkish: yansıma sözcük — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Ukrainian: звуконаслі́дування (zvukonaslíduvannja) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Ukrainian: ономатопе́я (onomatopéja) — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Vietnamese: từ tượng thanh — word that sounds like what it represents
  • Welsh: onomatopeia — word that sounds like what it represents