Which term denotes a word that imitates natural sounds?

• A. Onomatopoeia
• B. Metonymy
• C. Apostrophe
• D. Metaphor

Answer: (A)

Onomatopoeia. This is the term for words that imitate natural sounds, so the word itself evokes the noise it describes—buzz, hiss, splash, meow, bang, and so on. The idea is to capture the sound through spelling, making the reader hear the noise in their head. Other terms describe different language ideas: metonymy is substituting a related name or attribute for something (like using “the White House” to mean the presidency), apostrophe is addressing someone or something absent or inanimate as if present, and metaphor is a direct comparison between two unlike things without using like or as.