7 Words For The Sound Of A Door Opening And Closing

It’s useful to have a few words at the ready to help you describe certain sounds. In this article, we’ll explore the sound of a door opening and closing, and we’ll help you understand the best words to describe it.

Which Words Can Describe The Sound Of A Door Opening And Closing?

There are some great ways we can describe this sound. The following are some of the best to choose from:

• Swing and slam
• Pull and thud
• Open and close
• Click
• Bang
• Creak
• Locking and unlocking

The preferred version is “swing and slam.” It works well to show that a door has swung open (the sound relates to the rushing of air when you hear the door open). The “slam” relates to the close, and it usually implies that someone has shut the door with emphasis.

Swing And Slam

“Swing and slam” allows us to create sounds for both the opening and closing of a door. The “swing” works for the opening portion, while the “slam” works for the closing portion. It’s an easily identifiable sound to many people.

“Slam” is typically a more aggressive sound compared to other ways of closing a door. It’s much easier for someone to slam a door when they’re angry about something, as they will put less energy into shutting it in a quiet way.

If you’ve heard the distinctive slamming of a door, you’ll know how angry someone has to be to create the noise.

• The sound of the swing and slam was enough for me to get the picture. I just wish I could apologize.
• I heard the door swing open and slam shut. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was all because of me.
• The swing and slam were enough to grind anyone’s gears. We need to get that door oiled!

Pull And Thud

“Pull and thud” is another specific motion that some people might carry out. The “pull” relates to someone pulling a door open. It creates a brisk shuffling of air around the open door. The “thud” is the close after someone has walked through a door.

Like “slam,” “thud” is considered to be a more aggressive way to shut a door. It works best when you know that someone is angry at another person or for a particular reason.

• The pull and thud of the doors were getting louder. He was approaching, and I didn’t know where to hide.
• With one quick pull and thud, Daniel was on his way. It was loud enough to wake the whole street.
• The door pulled and thudded shut. I knew he was angry with me, but I didn’t think to ask him why.

Open And Close

“Open and close” isn’t strictly onomatopoeia, but it still works to describe the sound. “Open” and “close” are distinctive noises for a door to make, so we can use these two descriptive words to show that we heard the door being moved.

Onomatopoeia usually describes sounds, but in this case, we use them to describe the action. “Open” doesn’t relate to the specific sound made, but people know what a door opening sounds like. The same is true for a door closing.

• I heard the door open and close, but nobody wanted to come in.
• The door kept opening and closing. The sounds were unmistakable, but apparently, nobody else heard them.
• I thought I heard it open and close. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m sure it was obvious!

Click

“Click” is a good way to refer to a door being unlocked. The click sound comes from the handle being turned to open it, and the click comes from the door being separated (or reattached) to the door frame.

It’s a good way of showing how the sound is heard. It’s instantly recognizable, and many people already know what to expect when they hear a door click.

• I kept hearing the door click, but he wasn’t coming into the room to talk to me.
• I knew it was her clicking at the door. She was being too indecisive, and she didn’t know whether she was coming in or not.
• The door kept clicking, so I had to get out of the house.

Bang

“Bang” is a more abrupt sound that you might hear from a door. We use this mostly to show that someone is angry. The bang comes from the door being closed forcefully.

Usually, there will be a reason why someone “bangs” a door. That reason will be made much clearer within a given context, so it would make sense to include that context in your writing.

• The door banged shut as he left. I’ve never seen a man so angry before.
• It was closed with a forceful bang, and the sound managed to shake the whole building.
• The bang from the door closing was enough to unsettle anyone who heard it!

Creak

“Creak” is a great way to describe a door that both opens and closes. It’s common for older doors to creak. A creak is generally what happens to the hinges on a door when they haven’t been oiled for a while.

Some people believe creaks to be quite an eerie sound. They’re associated with scary movies where ghosts will typically creak open doors.

• The door creaked open; then it closed again. I don’t know what caused it, but I didn’t like it.
• The creaking sounds from the door need to be fixed because I hate listening to them.
• There’s a lot of creaking coming from behind me. I wonder if someone is coming in through the door.

Locking And Unlocking

“Locking and unlocking” refers to the clicking noise that comes from doors when they are opened and closed. The clicks typically come from the locks, which is why we use the words “locking” and “unlocking” to show the sounds we’re talking about.

• I heard the locking and unlocking of the door, which told me that he’d already left.
• It locked and unlocked quickly, meaning that I was finally alone.
• The door kept locking and unlocking on its own. It was almost as if it were haunted!