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)
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
His marketing has brought these capabilities to life through strategic integrations with Microsoft and Meta and expressive brand work, including a new sonic identity and CES activations with BMW and Louis Vuitton.
—
Seth Matlins, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
That goes for bars of pungent soap, essential oils, sonic repellant devices, and hanging up pennies in bags of water, a favorite Internet myth.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 June 2025
Schwartz once made an experimental montage blending a Coca-Cola jingle with soundbites from Richard Nixon’s Watergate speeches, an evocative and surreal sonic collage that captured the contradictions of American life.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2025
The visual and sonic aesthetics of the project borrow from the culture that brewed in Nuyorican communities in the Sixties and Seventies.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2025
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Seth Matlins, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
That goes for bars of pungent soap, essential oils, sonic repellant devices, and hanging up pennies in bags of water, a favorite Internet myth.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 June 2025
Schwartz once made an experimental montage blending a Coca-Cola jingle with soundbites from Richard Nixon’s Watergate speeches, an evocative and surreal sonic collage that captured the contradictions of American life.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2025
The visual and sonic aesthetics of the project borrow from the culture that brewed in Nuyorican communities in the Sixties and Seventies.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sonic
Cite this Entry
“Sonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonic. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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