sonic

adjective

son·​ic ˈsä-nik 

1

: utilizing, produced by, or relating to sound waves

sonic altimeter

broadly : of or involving sound

sonic pollution

2

: having a frequency within the audibility range of the human ear

—used of waves and vibrations

3

: of, relating to, or being the speed of sound in air or about 761 miles per hour (1224 kilometers per hour) at sea level at 59°F (15°C)

sonically

ˈsä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

A sonic boom is an explosive sound created by a shock wave formed at the nose of an aircraft. In 1947 a plane piloted by Chuck Yeager burst the "sound barrier" and created the first sonic boom. In the decades afterward sonic booms became a familiar sound to Americans. (Because of steps that were eventually taken, sonic booms are rarely heard anymore.) Today sonic is often used by ambitious rock musicians to describe their experimental sounds.

Examples of sonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The group’s music draws from rock, blues, jazz, funk, vintage soul and more to create a compelling sonic gumbo. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2026

Classical works by Mendelssohn, Paganini and Massenet round out the film’s sonic world. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 June 2026

Quesst—a needle-nosed experimental aircraft with an airframe designed to reduce the typical sonic boom to a sonic thump. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026

That goes for bars of pungent soap, essential oils, sonic repellant devices, and hanging up pennies in bags of water, a favorite Internet myth. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sonic

• sonic barrier
• sonic boom

Rhymes for sonic

• chronic
• clonic
• conic
• phonic
• tonic
• anharmonic
• anionic
• avionic
• catatonic
• cationic
• chorionic
• cosmogonic

Kids Definition

sonic

adjective

son·​ic ˈsän-ik 

: using, produced by, or relating to sound waves

Medical Definition

sonic

adjective

son·​ic ˈsän-ik 

1

: having a frequency within the audibility range of the human ear

—used of waves and vibrations

2

: utilizing, produced by, or relating to sound waves

a sonic device used to rupture cell walls

sonically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb