Languages › English as a Second Language Sounds People and Things Make Share Flipboard Email Print Colin J/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0 English as a Second Language Vocabulary Basic Conversations for English Language Learners Pronunciation & Conversation Writing Skills Reading Comprehension Grammar Business English Resources for Teachers By Kenneth Beare Kenneth Beare English as a Second Language (ESL) Expert TESOL Diploma, Trinity College London M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 22, 2018 The following verbs are used to express different types of sounds. Many of these words are onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia are words that intimate the sounds they express. A good example is the verb 'sizzle'. Sizzle is the sound that bacon makes as it is frying in the pan. Sound Verbs Buzz - Bees buzz as they fly about collecting pollen.Hum - I like to hum as I do the cleaning around the house.Boo - The crowd booed the politician to show their displeasure.Howl - Sarah howled in pain when she stubbed her toe on the door.Whimper - The dog whimpered because it missed its owner.Crunch - The icy snow crunched underneath my feet as I walked across the field.Whoosh - The air left the tire with a great whoosh.Screech - The crow screeched in the distance when it saw the people approaching.Whir - The computer whirred as it processed the data.Grind - Don't grind your teeth! You'll wear them down.Gurgle - I could hear the small brook gurgling in the background.Chirp - The little songbird chirped happily from the bush.Rattle - The broken part rattled inside the gadget.Neigh - The horse neighed as it came to a stop.Squeak - The little mouse squeaked as it looked for food throughout the house.Splash - Tom splashed loudly when he jumped into the swimming pool.Ping - The modem pinged as it connected to the network.Puff - I stood puffing hard after the two-mile run.Clatter - The dishes clattered in the kitchen while he cleaned up after dinner.Thud - The book dropped onto the floor with a loud thud.Moo - The cow mooed loudly as it tried to scare the men walking through the field.Tinkle - The crystal glass tinkled lightly when I toasted with my wife.Clang - Could you please be quiet? You're clanging those pots and pans and it's driving me crazy!Hiss - The snake hissed at the hiker to warn him away. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Beare, Kenneth. "Sounds People and Things Make." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/sounds-people-and-things-make-1212331. Beare, Kenneth. (2023, April 5). Sounds People and Things Make. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sounds-people-and-things-make-1212331 Beare, Kenneth. "Sounds People and Things Make." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/sounds-people-and-things-make-1212331 (accessed June 5, 2023). copy citation Featured Video