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

Field recordings—from the preparation of street food to birds chirping, taken mostly in public spaces around Doha—are a kind of sonic memory of a place that is rapidly changing. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

The Canadian producer/musician creates songs that feel like they’re haunted by their own ghosts, laced with intertwining echoes, tiny sonic fractures, and a palpable sense of place. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026

Every part of that trajectory is being reinforced by campaigns that borrow the same visual and sonic identity as the tour and its supporting album, Tropicoqueta. — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

That gallery feels like the perfect frame for Aitken’s work, at once spacious and enfolding, spare and receptive to all that visual and sonic plushness. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 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