Literature Glossary
Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.
Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Onomatopoeia
Definition:
Bam! Pow! Biff! Vronk! Sploosh!
Oh excuse us. We were just reenacting some of our favorite scenes from Batman. You know, the old school version.
But we were also getting our onomatopoetic juices flowing. See, Batman was chock full of onomatopoeias—those words that resemble the sound that they represent. Onomatopoeias literally sound like what they mean.
And they're not just to be found in Batman. They're everywhere. Oh, you want proof, don't you?
Quack. Moo. Bang. Zoom. Hiccup. Splash. Sneeze. Ping pong.
Okay, all you onomatopoets out there, give us some more.