sound wave

noun

Definition of sound wave

1 : sound entry 1 sense 1a

2 sound waves plural : longitudinal pressure waves in any material medium regardless of whether they constitute audible sound earthquake waves and ultrasonic waves are sometimes called sound waves

Examples of sound wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Consider a sound wave on the top plate moving toward the hole. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Researchers 3D print a wormhole… for sound waves," 6 Dec. 2018 One of the most common screening tests for ovarian cancer is a transvaginal ultrasound, which uses sound waves to look at organs like your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Here's Why Early Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Are So Vague," 5 Nov. 2018 The key to this sensitivity lies in acoustics: the tone of an instrument depends on how the sound wave is resonated by the instrument. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Musical instrument goes flat in presence of adulterated medicine," 17 Sep. 2018 But while other phones such as the OnePlus 6T feature an optical sensor that uses light to read your fingerprint, the S10 uses sound waves to map the whorls and loops. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "10 Samsung Galaxy S10, S10e, and S10+ features that actually surprised us," 20 Feb. 2019 The paper in question makes use of something called transformation optics to create a wormhole for sound waves. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Researchers 3D print a wormhole… for sound waves," 6 Dec. 2018 Active sonar broadcasts sound waves through the ocean that reflect off underwater objects, ideally detecting enemy submarines. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Navy Is Limiting Noisier Activities to Protect an Endangered Whale," 15 Nov. 2018 Treatment might involve a procedure called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), which is when sound waves are used to try to break up the stone. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Simone Biles Went to the ER With a Kidney Stone—and Made It to the World Championships Finals the Next Day," 29 Oct. 2018 Kids can play with sound waves to see how musical instruments work, shoot an air cannon and explore magnetism by building with magnets. — Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Science CITY opens at Betty Brinn Children's Museum," 5 July 2018

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