sonic boom

noun

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Definition of sonic boom

: a sound resembling an explosion produced when a shock wave formed at the nose of an aircraft traveling at supersonic speed reaches the ground — called also sonic bang

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Recent Examples of sonic boom from the Web

The fireball and sonic boom created when the golf-cart-sized meteor slammed into the earth’s atmosphere the evening of March 7 were widely seen and heard along the Washington coast.

— sandi doughton, The Seattle Times, "Meteorite search off the Washington coast recovers two small fragments," 3 July 2018
In the garage a sonic boom, courtesy of a military jet high above the desert, cracks like an overhead cannon shot.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Rocket Man Who Wants To Beat the Billionaires," 14 Oct. 2015
Even before the Concorde’s first commercial flights, the effects of sonic booms caused major concerns.

— bill van niekerken, San Francisco Chronicle, "When the Concorde supersonic turbojet roared into the Bay Area," 30 May 2018
At the height of the worries, it was reported that a single sonic boom unleashed 80 tons of rock in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.

— bill van niekerken, San Francisco Chronicle, "When the Concorde supersonic turbojet roared into the Bay Area," 30 May 2018
The carbon-composite airframe allows for a curvier shape than conventional aluminum, markedly reducing sonic boom.

— mark ellwood, WSJ, "Supersonic Flight Prepares for Takeoff (Again)," 4 Apr. 2018
With supersonic flight, an airplane causes the air around it to react with a shock wave, which is perceptible on the ground as a very loud sonic boom.

— dana burke, Houston Chronicle, "NASA's Galveston test flights could lead to supersonic commercial travel in the future," 16 Apr. 2018
In the first video, from an encounter off the coast of San Diego in 2004, a fighter jet tracks a lozenge-shaped something that seems to zoom off at incredible speed, apparently without generating exhaust plumes or a sonic boom.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "It’s Never Aliens—until It Is," 9 Jan. 2018
Witnesses reported the initial blast Thursday morning sounded like a sonic boom as black smoke billowed into the sky above Superior.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Fire extinguished at Superior oil refinery after at least 20 were injured in explosions," 26 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of sonic boom

1952

in the meaning defined above

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SONIC BOOM Defined for English Language Learners

sonic boom

noun

Definition of sonic boom for English Language Learners

: a very loud and explosive noise that is produced by an aircraft when it travels faster than the speed of sound

SONIC BOOM Defined for Kids

sonic boom

noun

Definition of sonic boom for Students

: a sound like an explosion that is made by an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound

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See words that rhyme with sonic boom Nglish: Translation of sonic boom for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sonic boom

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sonic boom

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