Definition

1. Onomatopoeia:

   • A loud, booming, or crashing sound: "ầm" is a word that imitates a sudden, loud, and resonant noise, such as an explosion, a heavy impact, or a collapse.

2. Adjective:

   • Noisy, boisterous, clamorous: "ầm" describes a state or situation filled with loud, disruptive, and chaotic sounds, often from voices or activities.

Usage Examples

• Onomatopoeia:

  • Súng nổ ầm. (The gun went boom.)
  • Cây đổ đánh ầm một cái. (The tree fell with a loud crash.)
  • Máy chạy ầm ầm. (The machine runs with a constant rumble.)

• Adjective:

  • Cười nói ầm nhà. (They talked and laughed boisterously, filling the house with noise.)
  • Tin đồn ầm lên. (The rumor spread noisily/caused a big stir.)

Advanced Usage

• "ầm ầm" (reduplication): This form emphasizes a continuous, rumbling, or repetitive loud sound.

  • Tiếng sấm ầm ầm. (The thunder rumbled.)
  • Xe tải chạy ầm ầm trên đường. (The truck drove down the road with a loud roar.)

• "ầm ĩ": A common compound meaning very noisy, uproarious, or causing a racket. (Note: This is a compound, not the target word alone).

  • Bọn trẻ chơi ầm ĩ ngoài sân. (The children are playing uproariously in the yard.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ồn ào (adj): Noisy, loud. A common synonym for the adjectival sense.
• Ầm ỹ (adj): Variant spelling/pronunciation of "ầm ĩ", meaning very noisy.
• Vang ầm (verb phrase): To resound loudly, to echo with a boom.

Synonyms

• Ồn (adj): Noisy.
• Ầm ầm (onomatopoeia/adv): Rumbling, roaring (reduplicated form for emphasis).
• Rền vang (verb phrase): To resound, to reverberate.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Kêu ầm lên (verb phrase): To cry/shout out loudly.
  • Nó kêu ầm lên khi thấy con nhện. (He yelled out when he saw the spider.)
• Đồn ầm lên (verb phrase): For news or rumors to spread noisily/widely, causing a stir.
  • Tin chiến thắng được đồn ầm lên khắp làng. (The news of the victory spread like wildfire throughout the village.)

Related Idioms

• Ồn như chợ vỡ: As noisy as a collapsed market (very noisy). This idiom conveys a similar level of noise as "ầm".
• Làm ầm lên: To make a fuss, to kick up a racket (about something).
  • Cô ấy làm ầm lên vì chiếc xe bị trầy. (She made a big fuss about the scratched car.)

1. To boom, to bang
   • súng nổ ầm
     the gun booms
   • cây đổ đánh ầm một cái
     the tree crashed with a bang; the tree banged down
2. Noisy, boisterous
   • cười nói ầm nhà
     to speak and laugh noisily in the house; to fill the house with the noise of talk and laughter
   • đồn ầm lên
     to spread noisy rumours