25 Onomatopoeia Poem Examples That Will Make Your Writing Pop

Hi, Friend! Jen Glantz here. I’m a bestselling author, the first ever bridesmaid for hire and have been hired by hundreds of brides all over the world. Let’s talk about onomatopoeia poem examples.

The other day, I was texting a friend, trying to explain the horrific sound my dying coffee grinder makes. I typed “whirrr,” deleted it, tried “grrr-click,” and eventually just gave up. I realized how limited the alphabet feels when you don’t have the right tools. I was struggling to capture that specific mechanical agony in a text bubble.

It turns out, I was fighting a battle poets have been waging for centuries. The word onomatopoeia comes from the Greek for ‘to make names’ (shout out to Twinkl for the etymology lesson), and it’s basically the art of making text noisy.

Quick Resources

• Turn creative ideas into a polished toast with the Maid Of Honor Speech Generator

• Explore every speech and planning option in All Wedding Tools

If you’re looking to add some volume to your writing, I’ve pulled together the ultimate list of onomatopoeia poem examples. We’re going from the dusty classics you read in high school to the chaotic sounds of modern city life. Whether you’re a student or just trying to spice up a creative writing project, this is how you master the spectrum of sound.

TL;DR: The Cheat Sheet

In a rush? Here’s the spark notes version. I’ve boiled down the core concepts of onomatopoeia below. The main thing to remember is that rhythm matters just as much as the word itself. When you’re looking at examples of onomatopoeia, keep these things in mind:

• Is it for the eye or the ear? Slam poetry hits differently than a poem meant to be read in a library.

• Show, Don’t Tell: The best sound words drive the story forward; they aren’t just decoration.

• It’s not just “Bang” and “Pop”: There’s a difference between Lexical sounds (real words like “crash”) and Non-Lexical sounds (made-up noises like “skrrt”).

• Check the beat: If you’re describing a train, the sentence should feel like a train chugging along.

• Read the room: “Moo” is for toddlers; industrial clanking is for angst-filled modernists. Know your audience.

To visualize the difference in complexity, here is a breakdown of the two main types of sound words:

Feature	Lexical Onomatopoeia	Non-Lexical Onomatopoeia
What is it?	Real dictionary words that happen to sound like what they describe.	Strings of letters mashed together to mimic a noise.
Examples	Crash, Whisper, Sizzle, Pop.	Vroom, Skrrt, Ba-dum-tsh, Tlot-tlot.
Where to use it	Narrative poetry, formal writing, novels.	Comics, spoken word, kids’ books, experimental stuff.

How to Pick Good Sound-Based Poetry

You can’t just pick a poem because it has a “splash” in the second stanza. When I curated this list, I looked at the mechanics under the hood. Here is what separates a cheesy rhyme from a masterpiece.

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Auditory Impact vs. Visual Reading

Some poems need to be shouted. Slam poetry relies on the performance to make the onomatopoeia land. Others are quieter—they sit on the page and let your internal monologue do the work. I tried to include a mix of both.

The “Show, Don’t Tell” Factor

Great writing forces you to hear the scene. I looked for poems where words like buzz or clatter actually serve a purpose. If the sound word feels like filler, I cut it. The noise needs to move the story forward.

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Complexity and Rhythm

Does the sound match the beat? If a poem is describing a galloping horse, the rhythm of the words needs to mimic hoofbeats. If it’s a thunderstorm, it should feel jagged. The best onomatopoeia in poems happens when the meter and the meaning lock into place.

Category A: The Heavy Hitters (Classics)

These are the ones you probably studied in English Lit, but they remain the gold standard for a reason. Masters like Poe and Browning knew how to use sound to build serious tension. For a deeper history lesson, check out our Onomatopoeia Poem Examples Guide, but for now, here are the legends.

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1. The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe

Poe basically descends into madness using words like tinkle, jingling, clash, and roar. It starts light and happy and ends in a nightmare. The meter actually changes to match the type of metal the bells are made of. It’s brilliant.

2. The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning

If you want to hear a swarm of rats, this is the poem. They are shrieking, squeaking, and grumbling. It scores high on auditory impact because the sounds create a chaotic atmosphere that makes your skin crawl.

3. The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

The phrase “Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot!” is iconic. It mimics the sound of horse hooves on a cobblestone road. This is a perfect poem with onomatopoeia of the Non-Lexical variety—it provides a rhythmic backbone that builds tension until the climax.

Writer’s Tip: Pacing a Scene
If you were writing a story based on The Highwayman, don’t just say “The horse ran fast.” Use the rhythm of the sentence to mimic the gallop.

• Boring: The horse ran down the road quickly.

• Better: The hooves struck the cobblestones—clatter, clack, clatter, clack—echoing in the cold night air.

4. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll

Carroll proves you don’t even need real words to make sounds. With whiffling, burbled, and galumphing, he forces you to imagine the noise based purely on how the word feels in your mouth.

5. The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Tennyson uses chatter, bubble, and murmur to create a continuous, flowing sound. It’s soft, hypnotic, and mimics the endless movement of water perfectly.

Category B: Nature and Weather

Nature is rarely quiet. This category highlights onomatopoeia poems that capture the environment, from the violence of a storm to the quiet “plop” of a frog. These examples show how poets translate the physical world into text.

6. Galoshes by Rhoda W. Bacmeister

This one is full of splishes, sploshes, and sloosh. It’s great for kids because it captures the specific, gross texture of mud and boots. It’s a masterclass in texture.

7. Storm by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)

H.D. uses sharp, cutting sounds like crash and rent. This is the modernist approach—the onomatopoeia is jagged and uncomfortable, reflecting the violence of the weather rather than a pretty melody.

Environment	Soft Sounds (Sibilance/Liquids)	Hard Sounds (Plosives/Dentals)
Water	Flow, murmur, ripple, swish.	Drip, drop, plop, splash.
Wind	Sigh, whoosh, whisper, hush.	Gust, blast, howl, buffet.
Storm	Hiss, drizzle, rustle.	Crack, boom, thunder, strike.

8. Meeting at Night by Robert Browning

Browning is back with tap, scratch, and slushy sand. It’s subtle here. The sounds are quiet and secretive, setting a stealthy, romantic mood.

9. Water via various Haiku interpretations

Haiku is all about efficiency. A single plop or drip has to do the heavy lifting for the whole poem. If you like this brevity, check out other Short Poem Examples to see how few words can make a big impact.

10. Who Has Seen the Wind? by Christina Rossetti

Rossetti uses words like trembling and bow. This is “soft” onomatopoeia. She avoids cartoonish sound words in favor of a gentle, atmospheric approach.

Category C: Urban and Mechanical Sounds

The modern world is loud. These poems move away from babbling brooks and focus on the clatter of trains, the boom of pianos, and the jazz of the city.

11. Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio by Carl Sandburg

Sandburg uses clutter, cluck, buzz, and hump-hump-hump. It captures the essence of the jazz age—chaotic, loud, and full of energy.

12. Crossing by Philip Booth

Booth simulates a freight train with clack, click, whoop, and chug. The rhythm is strictly mechanical. It’s a great example of industrial imagery.

13. Piano by D.H. Lawrence

Lawrence uses boom, tingling, and clamor. But here, the sound connects to memory. The “boom” represents the heavy nostalgia of the past weighing him down.

Writer’s Tip: Triggering Memory
Just as Lawrence uses the “boom” of a piano to trigger childhood memories, you can use domestic sounds in your writing to anchor a flashback.

• Scene: A character cooking dinner.

• Trigger: The whine of the tea kettle rising to a shriek.

• Result: The character is instantly transported back to an argument in their grandmother’s kitchen.

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14. Jazz Fantasia by Carl Sandburg

Sandburg personifies instruments with drum, batter, sob, and moan. It bridges the gap between raw sound and human feeling.

15. Beat! Beat! Drums! by Walt Whitman

Whitman uses beat, blow, whirr, and rattle. The onomatopoeia here is an antagonist. The sounds of war are interrupting daily life, blowing through the windows and doors.

Category D: The Animal Kingdom

Animals are usually our first introduction to onomatopoeia (looking at you, Old MacDonald). This category ranges from nursery rhymes to the annoying “whir” of a mosquito. If you are crafting a poem using onomatopoeia about animals, you might also want to look at Poem Title Examples to help you name your creation.

16. The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Tennyson uses the word thunderbolt. It’s subtle, implying the sound through the force of the word rather than just the literal noise.

17. The Mosquito by D.H. Lawrence

Lawrence uses whirring, hum, and buzz. These words create genuine annoyance. You can practically feel the bug near your ear.

18. Three Little Kittens (Traditional)

Mew and purr. These are the foundational blocks for early childhood education, teaching the basic link between a creature and its sound.

Animal	Nursery Rhyme Sound (Simple)	Literary/Realistic Sound (Complex)
Cat	Meow, Purr.	Yowl, Hiss, Caterwaul, Trill.
Bird	Tweet, Chirp.	Warble, Screech, Caw, Trill, Flutter.
Dog	Woof, Bark.	Snarl, Whimper, Bay, Growl, Yap.

19. Old MacDonald Had a Farm (Traditional)

The ultimate interactive list. Moo, quack, oink. The whole song falls apart without the audience participating in the noise.

20. The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear

Lear uses twang and bong. It adds whimsy and music to the fantasy element of the poem.

Category E: Action and Comedy

Sometimes sound is just about the punchline. This category looks at poems that use sound for comedic effect or high-energy action. These are often the most direct examples of onomatopoeia.

21. Daddy Fell into the Pond by Alfred Noyes

Noyes uses smack, click, and splash. The sounds serve as the joke—providing the comedic timing for the scene.

22. Fireworks by James Reeves

Bang, whoosh, and crack. It’s visual and auditory, helping you see the explosion through the sharp sounds.

23. Swish (Sports Poetry Genre)

Swish, dribble, thud, squeak. This is common in Spoken Word, depicting the specific rhythm of a basketball court.

24. The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité

This poem is a nightmare for anyone learning English. It includes words like hiccough (hiccup), playing with how English spelling mimics—or fails to mimic—actual sound.

Writer’s Tip: The Rule of Three
When using sound for humor, try the “Rule of Three” to build anticipation.

1. Setup: The waiter walked perfectly straight.

2. Reinforcement: He balanced the tray with grace.

3. Payoff (Sound): until—SPLAT!—the soup hit the floor.

25. Crash, Bang, Boom (Generic Action Verse)

Zoom, zap, pow. The classic comic book style. Direct, punchy, and impossible to misunderstand.

Managing the Noise of a Wedding

So, we’ve looked at how poets organize sound to create art. Real life? It’s rarely that organized. Especially if you are planning a wedding.

Weddings are loud. You have the clink of champagne glasses, the sob of a happy mother, and the rip of wrapping paper. But you also have the crash of a vendor canceling or the hiss of family drama. If you’re writing a toast, you can actually use onomatopoeia in poem form to capture the room’s attention (check out our Wedding Speech Guide for tips on mastering the room’s acoustics).

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Bridesmaid for Hire

If the noise gets to be too much, that’s where Bridesmaid for Hire steps in. Jen Glantz founded the world’s first service where you can hire a professional bridesmaid to handle the chaos for you.

• Speech Writing: Struggling to write a toast? Jen and her team offer speech writing tools. They can help you find the perfect words—maybe even a funny poem—to make the guests laugh. You can learn How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech that actually resonates without boring the crowd.

• Managing the Chaos: You can “unclench the bottle of Advil.” They handle the “pop-up problems” so you don’t have to deal with the screech of stressful situations.

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Final Thoughts

Sound shapes our experience of the world, whether it is in a stanza of poetry or the middle of a crowded reception. Paying attention to the whirrs, clicks, and bangs around you adds depth to your writing and your life. Hopefully, these onomatopoeia poem examples help you turn flat text into a sensory experience. And hey, if the noise of wedding planning gets too loud, remember that help is available to turn that cacophony into something worth listening to.