boom
/bum/verb, noun, interjection
boom is spelled B-O-O-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Boom, the name). As a verb, boom means “To make a loud, hollow, resonant sound” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in boom?
| Letters | 4: B-O-O-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,076th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is boom?
Boom appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Boom, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce boom?
- UK /buːm/
- British /bʉwm/
- US /bum/
Boom has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-boom.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with boom
Also written: bomb.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with boom?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as boom from its last stressed vowel (/um/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mobo.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of boom
- booms present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- booming participle, present
- boomed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does boom mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make a loud, hollow, resonant sound.
Thunder boomed in the distance and lightning flashes lit up the horizon.
- 2
To exclaim with force, to shout, to thunder.
- 3
To flourish, grow, or progress.
The population boomed in recent years.
- 4
To make (something) boom.
Men in grey robes slowly boom the drums of death.
- 5
To make a deep, resonant, territorial vocalisation.
- 6
To cause a sonic boom.
- 7
slangTo subject (someone or something) to a sonic boom.
- 8
USobsoleteslangTo publicly praise, to rally behind.
- 9
To extend, or push, with a boom or pole.
to boom out a sail
- 10
To raise or lower with a crane boom.
noun
- 1
A low-pitched, resonant sound, such as of an explosion.
the boom of the surf
- 2
A rapid expansion or increase.
You should prepare for the coming boom in the tech industry.
- 3
A period of prosperity, growth, progress, or high market activity.
- 4
Ellipsis of sonic boom.
- 5
One of the calls of certain monkeys or birds.
- 6
slangAn instance of booming.
- 7
A spar extending the foot of a sail; a spar rigged outboard from a ship's side to which boats are secured in harbour.
- 8
A specially-designed, movable pole, used to suspend a microphone or camera high above the ground during filming or recording.
- 9
Ellipsis of boom microphone (a microphone supported on such a pole).
- 10
A horizontal member of a crane or derrick, used for lifting.
- 11
The longest element of a Yagi-Uda antenna, on which the other, smaller antennae are transversally mounted.
- 12
A boom barrier; a lowerable bar used to block vehicle access.
- 13
A floating barrier used to obstruct navigation on water, for military or other purposes; or used for the containment of an oil spill or to control the flow of logs from logging operations.
- 14
A gymnastics apparatus, similar to a balance beam, which must be traversed as part of an obstacle course, typically as a training exercise in school or as part of basic training for new military recruits.
interjection
- 1
Used to suggest the sound of an explosion.
crash boom bang
- 2
Used to suggest something happening suddenly or unexpectedly; voilà.
Add one cup of hot water, wait a minute, and boom – your cup of ramen is ready.
- 3
The sound of a bass drum beating.
- 4
The sound of a cannon firing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Boom in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | estrondear, ribombar , florescer, prosperar , estrondo , boom |
| German | blühen, florieren, boomen , Dröhnen , dröhnen , Boom |
| Spanish | bum , boom, bonanza, auge , retumbar , pum |
| French | prospérer , boum , boom , bôme , perche , mat |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does boom come from?
Onomatopoeic, perhaps borrowed; compare German bummen, Dutch bommen (“to hum, buzz”). The sense "a period of economic growth" is generally taken to derive from the sense "a rapid expansion", although other origins have also been suggested.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).