Definition of sonar
: a method or device for detecting and locating objects especially underwater by means of sound waves sent out to be reflected by the objects; also : a device for detecting the presence of a vessel (such as a submarine) by the sound it emits in water
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Examples of sonar in a Sentence
They detected the submarine by using sonar.
Recent Examples of sonar from the Web
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The team of Australian government scientists studying these unexplored areas of the ocean—on a month-long voyage of the Investigator—uses nets, sonar, and deep-sea cameras to identify many new species.
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The country has experimented with a range of measures to reduce attacks, including culls, shark-detecting sonar and electromagnetic devices to repel the animals.
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Stripers have gone deep for the summer and can be caught at depths of 40 feet and more on live shad, or on 1-ounce Tsunami Swim Shad swimbaits dropped to fish spotted on sonar.
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The most striking detail is the presence of two sets of wing-like sonar receivers that give the sub a futuristic appearance.
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If something suspicious is spotted, a second sonar is activated, which acts like an acoustic underwater camera.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sonar'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of sonar
sound navigation ranging
SONAR Defined for English Language Learners
sonar
playDefinition of sonar for English Language Learners
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: a device used for finding things that are underwater by using sound waves
SONAR Defined for Kids
sonar
playDefinition of sonar for Students
: a device for detecting objects underwater using reflected sound waves
Learn More about sonar
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See words that rhyme with sonar Spanish Central: Translation of sonar Nglish: Translation of sonar for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sonar
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