INDEX:
1. a sound
2. using sound or connected with sound
3. to make a sound
4. to make a high sound
5. sounds made by something hitting or falling onto something
6. sounds made by something repeatedly hitting something
7. sounds made by glass or metal hitting something
8. sounds made by guns, bombs etc
9. sounds made by something burning or cooking
10. quiet gentle sounds
11. sounds made by gas or air
12. sounds made by machines, engines, cars etc
13. sounds made by bells or horns
14. sounds made by liquids or something wet
15. when a sound is repeated or continues for a long time
RELATED WORDS
a high sound : ↑ HIGH
a low sound : ↑ LOW (2)
see also
↑ LOUD
↑ QUIET
↑ REFLECT
↑ VOICE
↑ MUSIC
◆◆◆
1. a sound
▷ sound /saʊnd/ [countable/uncountable noun]
something that you hear :
▪ The only sound in the house was the ticking of the clock.
▪ Something’s wrong with the TV - you can see the pictures, but there’s no sound.
sound of
▪ From the next room came the sound of laughter.
a clicking/tapping/buzzing etc sound
▪ What’s that funny rattling sound coming from the back of the car?
sights and sounds
things that you see and hear
▪ the fascinating sights and sounds of Marrakesh
▷ noise /nɔɪz/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a sound, especially a loud or unpleasant one :
▪ Why are the children making so much noise out there?
▪ Are you sure you locked the door? I thought I heard a noise downstairs.
noise of
▪ The noise of the traffic kept me awake all night.
a banging/cracking/scratching etc noise
▪ Can you hear that funny scratching noise?
a loud noise
▪ There was a loud cracking noise and then the chair collapsed.
2. using sound or connected with sound
▷ sound /saʊnd/ [adjective only before noun]
sound waves
the form that sound takes when it travels
▪ The ear picks up sound waves and converts them into signals that it sends to the brain.
sound effects
sounds produced to make it seem that something is happening
▪ A tense atmosphere is easy to create on stage with some sinister music and creepy sound effects.
▷ acoustic /əˈkuːstɪk/ [adjective only before noun]
related to sound, especially the way in which people hear sounds - used especially in technical contexts :
▪ Various pieces of recording equipment are used to produce interesting acoustic effects.
▪ Deaf people get no acoustic feedback when they talk, so their speech is often impaired.
3. to make a sound
▷ make a sound/make a noise /ˌmeɪk ə ˈsaʊnd, ˌmeɪk ə ˈnɔɪz/ [verb phrase]
▪ I knew that if I made any sound, they would find me.
▪ The engine made a very strange noise when I tried to start the car.
make a buzzing/creaking/tapping etc sound
▪ Every time someone opens that door, it makes a terrible creaking sound.
make a sound/make a noise like
▪ The lamb was making a sound like a baby crying.
▷ go /gəʊ/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
go bang/beep/pop etc
especially spoken
to make a short loud sound :
▪ I was using the hairdryer and suddenly it went bang and stopped working.
▪ The microwave should go ping when it’s finished.
▷ with /wɪð, wɪθ/ [preposition]
with a bang/crash/thud etc
making a loud sound :
▪ The picture fell to the floor with a loud crash.
▪ Rockets flew into the air and then exploded with a terrific bang.
▷ go off /ˌgəʊ ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if something goes off, it starts making a noise - use this about warning bells, clocks that tell you it is time to get up etc :
▪ My neighbour’s car alarm went off three times last night.
▪ I get up as soon as the alarm clock goes off at 7:15.
▷ emit /ɪˈmɪt/ [transitive verb]
to make a particular kind of sound - use this especially in scientific and technical contexts :
▪ The machine emits regular bleeps which indicate the heart rate.
▪ Sounds emitted by the dolphins were recorded with an underwater microphone.
▷ let out /ˌlet ˈaʊt/ [transitive verb]
if someone lets out a particular kind of sound, they make it, especially when something surprises, frightens, or hurts them :
▪ ‘It can’t be true,’ Maria said, letting out a sob.
▪ A hand touched her shoulder. She let out a scream.
4. to make a high sound
▷ creak /kriːk/ [intransitive verb]
if something creaks, especially something wooden such as a door, bed, or stair, it makes a long, high noise when someone puts pressure on it :
▪ In the hall the floorboards creaked and the walls were damp.
creak open
▪ The key clicked inside the lock and the door creaked open.
creak/creaking [singular noun]
▪ Then I heard the creak of someone’s footsteps on the stairs.
▪ the creaking of the boats in the harbour
▷ squeak /skwiːk/ [intransitive verb]
if something squeaks, it makes a very high noise as it is moved, pushed etc, especially because two parts of it cannot rub smoothly together :
▪ His chair squeaked loudly as he swivelled round to face me.
▪ The rubber soles of my shoes squeaked on the shiny floor.
squeak [singular noun]
▪ The only sound was the soft squeak of the marker on the board.
squeaky [adjective]
▪ an old desk with squeaky drawers
▷ screech /skriːtʃ/ [intransitive verb]
to make a loud, long, unpleasant high sound, like the sound made by car tyres when the car stops suddenly :
▪ The train screeched as it pulled into the station.
screech [singular noun]
▪ There was the screech of brakes and then a tremendous bang.
5. sounds made by something hitting or falling onto something
▷ bang /bæŋ/ [countable noun]
a loud sound caused especially when something hard or heavy hits something else or falls on a surface :
▪ I heard a loud bang - it sounded like something had fallen down upstairs.
make a bang
▪ Small children are often frightrened of fireworks that make a bang.
close/land/collide etc with a bang
▪ The lid of the box fell shut with a bang.
▷ thud /θʌd/ [countable noun]
the low dull sound produced when something heavy but soft hits something else or falls on a surface :
▪ I heard a shot, followed by a thud as his body hit the floor.
hit/drop/land etc with a thud
▪ A snowball hit her on the back of the neck with a soft thud.
the thud of
▪ Suddenly we heard the thud of horses’ hooves.
▷ crack /kræk/ [countable noun]
a loud sudden very sharp sound like the sound of a stick being broken :
▪ The branch broke with a sudden crack.
▪ As I hit the floor, I heard a loud crack in my arm.
▷ crash /kræʃ/ [countable noun]
the very loud sound produced when something hard such as metal or glass hits something else or falls on a surface, especially when damage is caused :
▪ There was a loud crash in the bedroom and my dad started yelling.
fall/land/hit etc something with a crash
▪ The whole tray of dishes fell to the floor with a crash.
▷ clatter /ˈklætəʳ/ [singular noun]
the loud sound produced when a lot of hard things hit against each other or hit a hard surface :
▪ The clatter in the kitchen told me that Mum was already up.
fall/drop etc something with a clatter
▪ Bert put down his tools with a clatter, and looked round the room.
the clatter of something
▪ Just then there was the clatter of hooves on the road outside.
▷ bump /bʌmp/ [countable noun]
the dull, fairly quiet sound produced when something such as part of your body hits something or falls against a surface :
▪ At night, the old house seemed to be full of strange creaks and bumps.
fall/sit down/hit etc something with a bump
▪ Martin sat down suddenly with a bump.
▷ thump /θʌmp/ [countable noun]
the dull, fairly loud sound produced when something heavy suddenly hits something else or falls hard on a surface :
▪ There was a loud thump as Eddie threw Luther back against the wall.
hit something/fall etc with a thump
▪ A suitcase toppled off the top of the wardrobe and landed on the floor with a thump.
6. sounds made by something repeatedly hitting something
▷ knocking /ˈnɒkɪŋǁˈnɑː-/ [singular noun]
the sound produced when something hard keeps hitting another hard surface :
▪ One of the machines started to make a strange knocking sound.
▪ The builders’ knocking and hammering made it difficult for me to concentrate on my work.
▷ rap/rapping /ˈræp, ˈræpɪŋ/ [singular noun]
the sound produced when someone keeps hitting a surface, especially a door or window, with their hand or with a hard object :
rap/rapping at/on etc
▪ A violent rap at the door made me run downstairs.
▪ I was kept awake by the rapping of a branch on my window.
▷ patter /ˈpætəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to make a quiet irregular sound, like the sound of rain falling or quick, light steps :
patter on/in etc
▪ Raindrops were pattering on the car roof.
patter about/around
move around with a pattering sound
▪ I could hear feet shuffling and pattering about upstairs.
patter/pattering [singular noun]
the patter of something
▪ the patter of mice in the attic
▷ rattle /ˈrætl/ [intransitive verb]
if something rattles, it makes a hard, quickly repeated sound, especially because part of it is loose and keeps hitting against something :
▪ There’s something rattling inside the washing machine.
rattle about/around
move around with a rattling sound
▪ Sometimes, the bolts work loose and start rattling around.
rattle along/past etc
move somewhere making a rattling sound
▪ A battered old Chevrolet rattled past.
rattle/rattling [singular noun]
▪ I heard the rattle of a key in the door, and knew David was home.
▷ tap /tæp/ [intransitive verb]
to produce a sound by lightly and repeatedly hitting a hard surface :
tap on/against
▪ Is that someone tapping on the door?
▪ It sounded as though something outside was tapping against the window.
tapping [singular noun]
▪ What are they doing next door? I can’t stand this constant tapping on the wall.
7. sounds made by glass or metal hitting something
▷ clink /klɪŋk/ [intransitive verb]
if something made of glass or metal clinks, it makes a short ringing sound as it hits another glass or metal object :
▪ Their champagne glasses clinked. ‘Happy Anniversary Darling,’ Roger said.
clink against
▪ She wore at least twenty bracelets, which clinked against each other every time she moved her arm.
clink/clinking [singular noun]
▪ The clink of dishes in the dining room told him that dinner would soon be ready.
clinking [adjective]
▪ sounds of clinking cutlery and glass
▷ clank /klæŋk/ [intransitive verb]
if something heavy made of metal clanks, it makes a short, loud noise as it hits another metal object :
▪ The train’s carriages clanked and rattled as it crept into the station.
▪ In the harbor, the boats’ rigging clanked noisily in the high wind.
clank/clanking [singular noun]
▪ Then I heard the clanking of the metal gates outside, followed by footsteps on the path.
▷ clang /klæŋ/ [intransitive verb]
if something metal clangs, it makes a loud, long ringing noise when it hits another metal object :
▪ Somewhere inside the courtyard a bell clanged.
clang shut
▪ The prison door clanged shut again.
clang [singular noun]
▪ I dropped the metal bar and it hit the floor with a loud clang.
clanging [adjective]
▪ The sound echoed in Matt’s head like a clanging cymbal.
▷ jingle /ˈdʒɪŋg ə l/ [intransitive verb]
if a set of things jingle, especially things made of metal or glass, they make a continuous high musical sound as they hit each other :
▪ The coins in his pocket jingled together noisily.
▪ A herd of goats crossed the beach, the bells around their necks jingling cheerfully.
jingle [singular noun]
▪ Just then there was the jingle of keys outside the door.
▷ ring /rɪŋ/ [intransitive verb]
if something rings, it makes a high, loud, continuous sound after it hits another object :
▪ If you tap something made of good glass, it should keep ringing for quite a long time.
ringing [adjective]
▪ There was a ringing sound in my ears.
▷ tinkle /ˈtɪŋk ə l/ [intransitive verb]
to produce the pleasant, high, continuous sound that is made, for example, by light pieces of glass or metal hitting each other :
▪ I rang the bell and heard it tinkle inside.
▪ The ring fell from her hands and went tinkling across the floor.
tinkle/tinkling [singular noun]
▪ the tinkle of glass and china
8. sounds made by guns, bombs etc
▷ bang /bæŋ/ [countable noun]
a short sudden loud noise made by a gun, bomb etc :
▪ ‘I heard a bang and then I heard shots,’ said Saxton, a tourist from Australia.
loud bang
▪ There was a loud bang as the bomb exploded.
go off/explode etc with a bang
▪ The firework went off with a loud bang.
▷ boom /buːm/ [countable noun]
an extremely loud noise that can be heard for several seconds after it begins :
▪ The boom of cannon continued for most of the day.
▪ There was a loud boom. The chemical works was on fire.
sonic boom
the loud noise made when a plane, spacecraft etc passes the speed of sound
▪ A sonic boom was heard by observers on the shore as the meteorite fell to earth.
▷ roar /rɔːʳ/ [countable noun]
an extremely loud noise that gets gradually louder and continues for a fairly long time :
▪ With a great roar, the whole building was engulfed in flames.
▪ We threw ourselves to the ground as the roar of an explosion thundered over us.
▷ rumble /ˈrʌmb ə l/ [intransitive verb]
to make a very low sound, like the sound of distant thunder, that gets quieter then louder continuously :
▪ In the distance, thunder rumbled across the sky.
▪ The sound of rebel gunfire rumbled in the hills.
rumble [singular noun]
▪ What began as a rumble became a powerful roar as the volcano erupted.
9. sounds made by something burning or cooking
▷ crackle /ˈkræk ə l/ [intransitive verb]
if a fire or something burning in a fire crackles, it makes a repeated sharp sound :
▪ A log crackled on the fire.
▪ In the living-room, a huge fire was crackling away.
crackle [singular noun]
▪ the crackle of the bonfire
▷ sizzle /ˈsɪz ə l/ [intransitive verb]
to produce the continuous sound that is made, for example by food being cooked in very hot oil :
▪ Bacon was sizzling in the frying pan.
▪ It was so hot that the water just sizzled and evaporated.
sizzle [singular noun]
▪ The sizzle and smell of hamburgers and sausages greeted us as we walked out the back door.
10. quiet gentle sounds
▷ murmur /ˈmɜːʳməʳ/ [singular noun]
the continuous, low, quiet sound of something that is a fairly long way away or that is continuously there as well as other noises :
▪ Jan had the radio on in the room above, but it was no more than a murmur.
the murmur of something
▪ The murmur of distant traffic reached us when the wind was in the east.
▷ rustle /ˈrʌs ə l/ [intransitive verb]
if things such as papers, leaves, or clothes rustle, they make a continuous quiet sound as they rub against each other :
▪ Leaves rustled in the summer breeze.
▪ The tissue paper rustled in the silence as she unwrapped the gift.
rustle [singular noun]
▪ There was no sound in the library except for the occasional rustle of papers.
▷ swish /swɪʃ/ [singular noun]
the smooth quiet sound produced when something such as a skirt or curtains moves quickly through the air :
▪ The magnificent red stage curtains opened with a swish.
the swish of something
▪ Just then there was the swish of wings right above my head.
swish [transitive verb]
▪ Horses try to keep flies off by swishing their tails from side to side.
11. sounds made by gas or air
▷ hiss /hɪs/ [intransitive verb]
if something such as a tyre, ball, or part of a machine hisses, it makes a continuous high sound as air, water etc escapes from it :
▪ Air hissed out of the tyre.
▪ It sounded as though gas was hissing out of a pipe.
hiss [singular noun]
▪ The train halted with a loud hiss of escaping steam.
▷ fizz /fɪz/ [intransitive verb]
to produce the continuous high sound that is made for example by some kinds of drinks that produce bubbles when they are poured into a glass :
▪ I dropped the tablet in the glass. It fizzed and dissolved.
▪ The firework fizzed for a moment and then went off with a bang.
12. sounds made by machines, engines, cars etc
▷ buzz /bʌz/ [intransitive verb]
to make a continuous sound, for example, like the sound made by bees :
▪ Police helicopters buzzed backwards and forwards over the area all day.
▪ The whole office seemed to be buzzing with the sound of machinery.
buzz [singular noun]
▪ I could hear the buzz of a chainsaw far away among the trees.
▷ hum /hʌm/ [intransitive verb]
to make a soft, low continuous sound like the sound made by some electric or electronic equipment :
▪ The refrigerator hummed softly in the corner.
▪ The computer was still on, humming away.
hum [singular noun]
▪ the hum of the air conditioning
▷ whirr /wɜːʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to make a fairly quiet, regular sound like something turning very quickly and beating against the air :
▪ The video recorder whirred and rewound.
▪ Already the plane’s propellers were whirring into action.
whirr [singular noun]
▪ At last the engine started up with a grinding whirr.
▷ whine /waɪn/ [singular noun]
an unpleasant long high sound, especially produced by an engine or vehicle running at very high speed :
▪ The sky was filled with the whine and roar of bombers.
▷ beep also bleep British /biːp, bliːp/ [countable noun]
a high, sometimes repeated, electronic sound sent out by a machine, especially in order to attract someone’s attention :
▪ You’ll hear a bleep when the photocopier’s finished printing.
▪ Someone’s pager beeped in the middle of the best scene in the play.
beep/bleep [intransitive verb]
▪ The machine bleeps if you leave it switched on for more than 10 minutes.
▷ roar /rɔːʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if a car, plane etc engine roars, it makes a very loud noise when it is near full power :
▪ The Ferrari roared and shot off down the road.
roar past/along etc
move with a roaring sound
▪ There was the sound of a siren and several police cars roared past.
roar [singular noun]
▪ The boat’s motor made quite a roar.
▷ tick /tɪk/ [intransitive verb]
if a clock or other machine ticks, it makes a quiet, regular, repeated sound :
▪ I find it impossible to sleep if there’s a clock ticking in the room.
▪ As usual, there was a bomb ticking somewhere and James Bond had to find it.
tick/ticking [singular noun]
▪ Jeremy waited anxiously, listening to the ticking of the clock on the wall.
13. sounds made by bells or horns
▷ ring /rɪŋ/ [intransitive verb]
to make a sound like that of a bell :
▪ The phone’s ringing.
▪ A burglar alarm was ringing further along the road.
▪ At that moment, the door bell rang.
▷ toll /təʊl/ [intransitive verb] written
if a large bell tolls, it makes regular, separate ringing sounds, especially as a sign of someone’s death :
▪ The funeral procession left the church as the bells began to toll.
▷ chime /tʃaɪm/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if a bell or clock chimes, it makes a single ringing sound or a small number of ringing sounds, especially in order to tell you what time it is :
▪ I heard a clock chime softly in the next door room.
▪ Across the valley, church bells were chiming.
chime six/eight/twelve etc
ring six, eight, twelve etc times to show the time
▪ A clock chimed six.
chime [countable noun]
▪ The shop door opened with a chime.
▷ honk /hɒŋkǁhɔːŋk/ [intransitive/transitive verb] informal
if you honk a vehicle’s horn or if the horn honks, it makes a loud clear sound which continues for only a few seconds :
▪ Several horns honked impatiently.
▪ The truck driver honked his horn and waited.
▷ hoot /huːt/ [intransitive/transitive verb] British
if you hoot a vehicle’s horn, or if the horn hoots, it makes a loud clear sound which continues for only a few seconds and is like a single musical note :
▪ A horn hooted behind me. It was Don in his little red car.
▪ All the other drivers were tooting their horns and yelling at me to move my car.
hoot/hooting [countable noun]
▪ The hooting of a horn made me turn round.
14. sounds made by liquids or something wet
▷ splash /splæʃ/ [countable noun]
the sound that a liquid makes when it falls from a height, hits something hard, or is moved rapidly around :
▪ There was a splash behind the boat as a large silver fish jumped out of the water.
▪ Judging from the shouts and splashes coming from the pool, everyone was having a lot of fun.
fall/land etc with a splash
▪ Ashlee fell into the river with a loud splash.
splash [intransitive verb]
▪ The waterfall cascaded over the rocks and splashed into a pool at the bottom.
▷ squelch /skweltʃ/ [intransitive verb] British
to make a sound like someone walking in soft, wet mud, or to move somewhere making this sound :
▪ It had been raining hard and my boots squelched as I walked across the park.
squelch along/past/through etc
▪ Ankle deep in mud, we squelched across the meadow.
squelch around
▪ Melvin was squelching around in the yard outside the cowshed.
▷ gurgle /ˈgɜːʳg ə l/ [intransitive verb]
if something such as a stream gurgles, it makes a low irregular sound like water flowing through a pipe :
▪ The pipes in the attic gurgle in the night and keep me awake.
▪ The washing machine gurgled as it changed cycles.
gurgle [singular noun]
▪ Somewhere nearby there was the gentle gurgle of a stream.
▷ plop /plɒpǁplɑːp/ [intransitive verb]
to make a sound like something solid falling directly into water :
plop into/onto etc
▪ Noah threw a stone high into the air and it plopped into the river.
▪ Several letters plopped onto the doormat.
plop/plopping [singular noun]
▪ The frog reached the stream and jumped in with a plop.
▷ bubble /ˈbʌb ə l/ [intransitive verb]
to make the continuous repeated sound that is made, for example, by water boiling :
▪ A large saucepan of soup was bubbling on the stove.
bubbling [adjective]
▪ Josh lay back in the bubbling jacuzzi.
15. when a sound is repeated or continues for a long time
▷ echo /ˈekəʊ/ [intransitive verb]
if a sound echoes, you hear the last part of it again because it was made in a large empty room, near a high wall etc :
▪ I heard footsteps echoing down the corridor.
echo [countable noun]
▪ There was the sound of gunshot and then its echo in the mountains.
▷ reverberate /rɪˈvɜːʳbəreɪt/ [intransitive verb]
if a loud sound reverberates, or a building reverberates with a sound, the sound is repeated or continues for a fairly long time, so that the building or room where it is seems to shake :
reverberate around/along/through etc
▪ The sound of a train passing reverberated through the house.
reverberate with
▪ At four o'clock the school bell goes, and the whole school reverberates with the sound of running feet and slamming doors.
reverberation /rɪˌvɜːʳbəˈreɪʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ The last reverberations of the thunder were just dying down.
▷ resonate /ˈrezəneɪt/ [intransitive verb]
if something such as music or a musical instrument resonates, it makes a continuous, rich, musical sound :
▪ The sounds of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony resonated through the house.
resonant [adjective]
▪ His voice was deep, rich and resonant.
▷ resound /rɪˈzaʊnd/ [intransitive verb]
if a very loud sound resounds, it continues for a fairly long time, filling a place with sound :
▪ Raymond’s huge laugh resounded everywhere we went.
resound around/in/through etc
▪ As he fell, his scream resounded through the canyon.