Onomatopoeic Words: Impacts

Crash! Bang! Whack! They may be short, but these weird and wonderful words can be hugely effective when describing the sounds of impact. And they can certainly help bring any story, comic, or description to life too!

bang
(of an object) make a short, sharp noise when coming into contact with a hard surface
verb: The trunk banged shut when I kicked it with my boot.
noun: We heard a bang from the hallway as the wind blew the front door shut.

boom
(of a drum, heavy object) make a loud, deep resonant sound when being hit
verb: The drums were booming to the beat of the music.
noun: I could hear the boom of his drum from three floors below.
See also: Humans, Nature

clatter
(of hard objects) make a noise when falling or striking one another
verb: The teacups clattered on the tray as she carried them towards us.
noun: The clatter of the plates in the kitchen told me Gary had woken up.

crash
(of a vehicle or heavy object) make a noise when colliding violently into another object
verb: The driver lost control of the car and it crashed into the wall.
noun: We hear a crash outside and went to see what had happened.
See also: Nature

creak
(of a wooden object or structure) make a harsh, high-pitched sound
verb: The floor creaked loudly as I walked acoss the room.
noun: The only sound I could hear was the steady creak of the rocking chair.

jingle
(of metal objects) make a light ringing sound when shaken together
verb: The coins jingled in my pocket as I ran down the road.
noun: The jingle of keys in his hands told me Gary was approaching.
See also: Objects

knock
(of knuckles or stick on a hard surface) make a short sudden sound, usually to get attention
verb: The neighbours knocked on the wall to tell us that our music was too loud.
noun: I heard a knock at the door and got up to see who it was.

slap
(of the palm of a hand) make a noise when striking a flat object
verb: When she found out he’s been lying, she slapped him across the face.
noun: The naughty child was punished with a slap across the cheek.

smash
(of glass) make a sound when breaking into pieces
verb: The vandals smashed the windscreen, and several mirrors too.
noun: We heard the smash of glass as the ball went through the window.

thud
(of an object) make a dull, heavy sound when falling to the ground
verb: The baseball thudded against the car before I was able to stop it
noun: After losing consciousness, he fell to the ground with a thud.

thump
(of a fist or blunt instrument) make a dull noise when hitting or striking something heavily
verb: He thumped the table with his fist and woke the sleeping cat.
noun: The sack of potatoes landed on the floor with a thump.

whack
(of a heavy object) make a noise when striking something with a resounding blow
verb: She whacked him on the head with an encyclopedia.
noun: Sarah had had enough of his teasing and gave him a whack with her book.

wham
(of an object or vehicle) make a noise when striking something forcefully
verb: The train whammed into the van, destroying it in an instant.
exclamation: Wham! went the lid of the trunk as Malcom kicked it shut.