hypersonic

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adjective hy·per·son·ic \ ˌhī-pər-ˈsä-nik \

Definition of hypersonic

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

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hypersonically

play \ˌhī-pər-ˈsä-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Recent Examples of hypersonic from the Web

India’s arsenal includes the hypersonic Brahmos III, the world��s fastest cruise missile, which can precisely deliver a 300kg payload to any target in Pakistan.

— The Economist, "Hissing cousinsWhy India and Pakistan hate each other," 22 July 2017
Videos range from Mars rover tests to hypersonic jet takeoffs, with many experimental crafts featured.

— michael mcgough, sacbee, "NASA posts hundreds of archive videos featuring air and space vehicles to YouTube," 22 July 2017
And developing hypersonic (more than five times the speed of sound) weapons that can strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour.

— george will, National Review, "The Wild Blue Yonder Ain’t What It Used to Be," 22 July 2017
Western Civilization now teeters in a toxic 24-7 hypersonic media mush chamber.

— david whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, "O.J. Simpson should stay bottled up before he goes to Disney World," 18 July 2017
Past HiFiRE experiments have been brief forays into hypersonic travel.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. and Australia Conducted a Secretive Hypersonic Missile Test," 18 July 2017
Read More About the Options for Dealing With North Korea Among the new technologies are hypersonic glide vehicles being developed by Russia and China.

— Bloomberg.com, "Missile Threats Are Surging Worldwide, U.S. Defense Study Finds," 26 June 2017
For a hypersonic passenger jet to become a reality, some major hurdles need to be cleared.

— andy pasztor, WSJ, "New York to London in 40 Minutes? Maybe Someday," 20 June 2017
The biggest one is that engineers so far have failed to produce materials or devise other means to safely handle the intense heat when airliners reach such hypersonic speeds.

— andy pasztor, WSJ, "New York to London in 40 Minutes? Maybe Someday," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hypersonic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use: 1946

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