the sound barrier
noun
: the large increase in air resistance that occurs as an aircraft nears the speed of sound and that was once an obstacle to traveling faster than the speed of sound
a plane that is able to break the sound barrier
Examples of the sound barrier in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To manage this risk, the Ingenuity team strictly capped rotational speeds at 2,700 rpm and maintained a safety buffer to avoid the unpredictable physics of the sound barrier and potential turbulence from Martian dust devils.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026
Breaking the sound barrier without breaking hardware moves us a step closer to fully exploiting this new mode of planetary exploration.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
But from 42 knots upwards is where hydrofoiling craft hit their equivalent of the sound barrier — cavitation.
—Andrew Rice, New York Times, 7 May 2026
The loud crack-crack of the rocket boosters’ return breaking the sound barrier could be heard in parts of Central Florida about eight minutes after liftoff.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
After the first collision, Beavers' truck continued north, rolled onto its left side, and hit the sound barrier wall on the right shoulder.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
In 1947, with its X-1 plane, the team became the first in the history of human flight to break the sound barrier.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The F-15s will now be used to support research flights of NASA's new X-59 'quiet' supersonic jet, an aircraft designed to fly at supersonic speeds without producing the thunderous sonic booms typically associated with breaking the sound barrier.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Hypersonic flight may seem like the biggest shove to the envelope since the sound barrier was broken in 1947 and rotating detonation may look like a quantum leap in propulsion, but combining the two shows how far both of these have come in recent years.
—New Atlas, 14 Jan. 2026
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Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026
Breaking the sound barrier without breaking hardware moves us a step closer to fully exploiting this new mode of planetary exploration.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
But from 42 knots upwards is where hydrofoiling craft hit their equivalent of the sound barrier — cavitation.
—Andrew Rice, New York Times, 7 May 2026
The loud crack-crack of the rocket boosters’ return breaking the sound barrier could be heard in parts of Central Florida about eight minutes after liftoff.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
After the first collision, Beavers' truck continued north, rolled onto its left side, and hit the sound barrier wall on the right shoulder.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
In 1947, with its X-1 plane, the team became the first in the history of human flight to break the sound barrier.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The F-15s will now be used to support research flights of NASA's new X-59 'quiet' supersonic jet, an aircraft designed to fly at supersonic speeds without producing the thunderous sonic booms typically associated with breaking the sound barrier.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Hypersonic flight may seem like the biggest shove to the envelope since the sound barrier was broken in 1947 and rotating detonation may look like a quantum leap in propulsion, but combining the two shows how far both of these have come in recent years.
—New Atlas, 14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“The sound barrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20sound%20barrier. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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