hypersonic

adjective

hy·​per·​son·​ic ˌhī-pər-ˈsä-nik How to pronounce hypersonic (audio)
1
: of or relating to speed five or more times that of sound in air compare sonic
2
: moving, capable of moving, or utilizing air currents that move at hypersonic speed
hypersonic wind tunnel
hypersonically adverb

Examples of hypersonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Pentagon officials say the SDA's satellite constellation, officially called the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, is tailored to detect and track more modern threats, such as smaller missiles and hypersonic weapons carrying conventional warheads. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025 Japanese defense planners have studied pairing railguns with long-range intercept systems to strengthen layered air defense against threats such as hypersonic glide vehicles and massed drone swarms. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025 Railguns are also seen as a potential countermeasure against hypersonic missiles, which can travel at over five times the speed of sound, according to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 Interceptor drones provide Ukraine with a practical means to neutralize the Shahed threat while conserving high-value air defense assets for use against cruise and hypersonic missiles. Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hypersonic

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypersonic was in 1946

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Cite this Entry

“Hypersonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypersonic. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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